,,the ,,uses ,,of ,,astronomy4          
,,an ,,oration                          
,delivered at ,albany1 on the #bhth of  
,august1 #ahef                          
,,by                                    
,,edward ,,everett1                     
,,on ,,the                   ,,occasion 
,,of ,,the ,,inauguration ,,of ,,the    
,,dudley                                
,,astronomical ,,observatory1           
,,with ,a                               
,,condensed ,,report ,,of ,,the         
,,proceedings1                          
,,and ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,the         
,,dedication ,,of ,,new ,,york ,,state  
,,geological ,,hall4                    
,,new ,,york3                           
,,published ,,by ,,ross  ,,tousey1      
#ajc ,,nassau ,,street4                 
#ahef4                                  
,a ,,note ,,explanatory4         ,the   
undersigned ventures to put forth this  
report of ,mr4       ,,everett',s       
,oration1 in connection with a condensed
 account of the       ,inauguration of  

the ,dudley ,observatory1 and the       
,dedication of       the ,new ,state    
,geological ,hall1 at ,albany1--in the  
hope that the       demand which has    
exhausted the newspaper editions1 may   
exhaust       this as speedily as       
possible2 not that he is particularly   
tenacious of a reward for his own slight
 labors1 but because he       believes  
that the extensive circulation of the   
record of the two       events so       
interesting and important to the cause  
of ,science will       exercise a       
beneficial influence upon the public    
mind4 ,the effort       of the          
distinguished ,statesman who has        
invested ,astronomy with       new      
beauties1 is the latest and one of the  
most brilliant of       his             
compositions1 and is already wholly out 
of print1 though       scarcely a month 
has elapsed since the date of its       
delivery4       ,the account of the     
proceedings at ,albany during the       
,ceremonies       of ,inauguration is   

necessarily brief1 but accurate1 and is 
respectfully submitted to the           
consideration of the reader4            
,a4 ,,maverick4       ,,new ,,york1     
,october #a1 #ahef4                     
,,two ,,new ,,institutions ,,of         
,,science2                              
,,and                  ,,the ,,scenes   
,,which ,,attended ,,their              
,,christening4      ,in the month of    
,august last1 two events took place in  
the city of  ,albany1 which have more   
than an ephemeral interest4 ,they       
occurred in  close connection with the  
proceedings of a ,scientific            
,convention1  and the memory of them    
deserves to be cherished as a           
recollection of  the easy way in which  
,science may be popularized and be      
rendered so  generally acceptable that  
the people will cry1 like ,oliver       
,twist1 for  more4 ,it is the purpose of
 this small publication to embody1 in a 
form  more durable than that of the     
daily newspaper1 the record of          

proceedings  which have so near a       
relation to the progress of scientific  
research4 ,a  marked feature in the     
ceremonies was the magnificent ,oration 
of the ,hon4  ,,edward ,,everett1       
inaugurating the ,dudley ,observatory of
 ,albany2 and it is  believed that the  
reissue of that speech in its present   
form will be  acceptable to the admirers
 of that distinguished gentleman1 not   
less  than to the lovers of ,science1   
who hung with delight upon his words4   
,,the ,,dedication ,,of ,,the           
,,geological ,,hall4    ,on ,wednesday1 
,august #bg1 #ahef1 the ,state          
,geological ,hall of ,new ,york  was    
dedicated with appropriate ceremonies4  
,for the purpose of affording           
accommodation to the immense crowds of  
people who1 it was confidently          
anticipated1 would throng to this       
demonstration and that of the           
succeeding day1 at which ,mr4 ,,everett 
spoke1 a capacious ,tent was  arranged  
with care in the center of ,academy     

,park1 on ,capitol ,hill2  and under its
 shelter the ceremonies of the          
inauguration of both  institutions were 
conducted without accident or confusion2
 attended on  the first day by fully    
three thousand persons1 and on the      
second by a  number which may be safely 
computed at from five to seven thousand4
    ,the announcement that ,hon4 ,,wm4  
,h4 ,,seward would be present at the    
dedication of the ,geological ,hall1    
excited great interest among the        
citizens2 but the hope of his appearance
 proved fallacious4 ,his place  was     
occupied by seven picked men of the     
,american ,association for the          
,advancement of ,science1 one of whom   
7,prof4 ,,henry7 declared his inability 
to compute the problem why seven men of 
science were to be considered  equal to 
one statesman4 ,the result justified the
 selections of the  committee1 and      
although the ,senator was not present1  
the seven  ,commoners of ,science made  
the occasion a most notable one by the  

flow  of wit1 elegance of phrase1       
solidity and cogency of argument1 and   
rare  discernment of natural truths1    
with which their discourse was          
garnished4    ,the members of the       
,american ,association marched in       
procession to the  ,tent1 from their    
place of meeting in the ,state ,capitol4
 ,on the stage  were assembled many     
distinguished gentlemen1 and in the     
audience were  hundreds of ladies4      
,,gov4 ,,clark and ,ex-,governors ,,hunt
 and ,,seymour1 of ,new  ,york1 ,sir    
,,wm4 ,,logan1 of ,canada1 ,hon4        
,,george ,,bancroft1 and others as well 
known as these1 were among the number   
present4 ,the tent was profusely        
decorated4 ,small banners in tri-color  
were distributed over the entire  area  
covered by the stage1 and adorned the   
wings4 ,the following  inscriptions were
 placed over the front of the           
rostrum1--that in honor  of ,the ,press 
occupying a central position3           
,,geology4                  ,,the       

,,press4                  ,,meteorology4
              ,,mineralogy4             
,,metallurgy4               ,,ethnology4
                                        
,,astronomy4    ,the following were     
arranged in various positions on the    
right and left3                         
,,chemistry4                ,,telegraph4
                  ,,physiology4         
,,letters4                              
,,conchology4               ,,hydrology4
                  ,,pal,,ontology4      
,,zoology4                              
,,microscopy4                           
,,ichthyology4                  ,,art4  
,,manufactures4                         
,,steam4                                
,,agriculture4                          
,,commerce4                 ,,physics4  
,,science4                  ,,anatomy4  
,,navigation4               ,,botany4   
,the proceedings of the day were opened 
with prayer by ,rev4 ,,geo4 ,w4         
,,bethune1 ,d4,d41 of ,brooklyn4        
,hon4 ,,garrit ,y4 ,,lansing1 of        

,albany1 then introduced ,professor     
,,louis  ,,agassiz1 of ,cambridge1      
,mass41 who was the first of the seven  
men  of science to entertain his        
audience1 always with the aid of the    
inevitable black-board1 without which   
the excellent ,professor would be  as   
much at a loss as a chemist without a   
laboratory4 ,professor ,,agassiz  spoke 
for an hour1 giving his views of a new  
theory of animal  development4 ,he began
 by saying3--         ,we are here to   
inaugurate the ,geological ,hall1 which 
has grown       out of the geological   
survey of the ,state4 ,to make the      
occasion       memorable1 a             
distinguished statesman of your own     
,state1 and ,mr4       ,,frank ,c4      
,,gray1 were expected to be present and 
address you4 ,the       pressure of     
public duties has detained ,mr4         
,,seward1 and severe       sickness has 
detained ,mr4 ,,gray4 ,i deeply lament  
that the occasion       is lost to you  
to hear my friend ,mr4 ,,gray1 who is a 

devotee to       science1 and as        
warm-hearted a friend as ever ,i knew4  
,night       before last ,i was         
requested to assist in taking their     
place--,i1       who am the most unfit  
of men for the post4 ,i never made a    
speech4       ,i have addressed learned 
bodies1 but ,i lack that liberty of     
speech--the ability to present in       
finished style1 and with that       rich
 imagery which characterize the words of
 the orator1 the       thoughts fitting 
to such an occasion as this4 ,he would  
limit       himself1 he continued1 to   
presenting some motives why the         
community should patronize science1 and 
foster such institutions       as this4 
,we scientific men regard this as an    
occasion of the       highest interest1 
and thus do not hesitate to give the    
sanction       of the highest learned   
body of the country as an indorsement of
       the liberality of this ,state4   
,the geological survey of ,new ,york    
has given to the world a new            

nomenclature4 ,no geologist can1        
hereafter1 describe the several strata  
of the earth without       referring to 
it4 ,its results1 as recorded in your   
published       volumes1 are treasured  
in the most valuable libraries of the   
world4 ,they have made this city famous2
 and now1 when the       scientific     
geologist lands on your shore1 his first
 question is1       ,which is the way to
 ,albany8 ,i want to see your fossils4  
,but       ,paleontology is only one    
branch of the subject1 and many others  
your survey has equally fostered4       
,he next proceeded to show that         
organized beings were organized         
with reference to a plan1 which the     
relations between different             
animals1 and between different plants1  
and between animals and       plants1   
everywhere exhibit2--drew sections of   
the body of a       fish1 and of the    
bird1 and of man1 and pointed out that  
in each       there was the same central
 back-bone1 the cavity above and        

the ribbed cavity below the flesh on    
each side1 and the skin       over      
all--showing that the maker of each     
possessed the same                      
thought--followed the same plan of      
structure4 ,and upon that plan       ,he
 had made all the kinds of quadrupeds1  
#b1jjj in number1 all the       kinds of
 birds1 #g1jjj in number1 all of the    
reptiles1 #b1jjj to       #c1jjj in     
number1 all the fish1 #aj1jjj to #ab1jjj
 in number4 ,all       their forms may  
be derived as different expressions of  
the same       formula4 ,there are only 
four of these great types2 or1 said he1 
may ,i not call them the four tunes on  
which ,divinity has played       the    
harmonies that have peopled1 in living  
and beautiful reality1       the whole  
world8                       ,,professor
 ,,hitchcock ,,on ,,reminiscences4      
,,erastus ,c4 ,,benedict1 ,esq4 of ,new 
,york1 introduced ,prof4 ,,hitchcock1 of
  ,amherst1 as a gentleman whose name   
was very familiar1 who had laid  aside1 

voluntarily1 the charge of one of the   
largest colleges in ,new  ,england1 but 
who could never lay aside the honors he 
had earned in the  literature and       
science of geology4    ,after a few     
introductory observations1 ,prof4       
,,hitchcock said3--         ,this1 ,i   
believe1 is the first example in which a
 ,state ,government       in our country
 has erected a museum for the exhibition
 of its       natural resources1 its    
mineral and rock1 its plants and        
animals1       living and fossil4 ,and  
this seems to me the most appropriate   
spot       in the country for placing   
the first geological hall erected by    
the ,government2 for the ,county of     
,albany was the district where       the
 first geological survey was undertaken1
 on this side of the       ,atlantic1   
and1 perhaps1 the world4 ,this was in   
#ahbj1 and ordered       by that eminent
 philanthropist1 ,stephen ,van          
,rensselaer1 who1       three years     
later1 appointed ,prof4 ,eaton to       

survey1 in like       manner1 the whole 
region traversed by the ,erie ,canal4   
,this was       the commencement of a   
work1 which1 during the last thirty     
years1       has had a wonderful        
expansion1 reaching a large part of the 
,states of the ,union1 as well as       
,canada1 ,nova ,scotia1 and ,new        
,brunswick1 and1 ,i might add1 several  
,european countries1 where       the    
magnificent surveys now in progress did 
not commence till       after the survey
 of ,albany and ,rensselaer ,counties4  
,how glad       are we1 therefore1 to   
find on this spot the first ,museum of  
,economical ,geology on this side of the
 ,atlantic6 ,nay1 embracing       as it 
does all the department of ,natural     
,history1 ,i see in it       more than a
 ,european ,museum of ,economical       
,geology1 splendid       though they    
are4 ,i fancy1 rather1 that ,i see here 
the germ of a       ,cis-,atlantic      
,british ,museum1 or ,garden of ,plants4
         ,north ,carolina was the first 

,state that ordered a geological        
survey2 and ,i have the pleasure of     
seeing before me the gentleman       who
 executed it1 and in #ahbd-e published a
 report of #adj pages4       ,i refer to
 ,professor ,olmstead1 who1 though he   
has since won       brighter laurels in 
another department of science1 will     
always be       honored as the first    
commissioned ,state geologist in our    
land4    ,of the ,new ,york ,state      
,survey he said3--         ,this survey 
has developed the older fossiliferous   
rocks1 with a       fullness and        
distinctness unknown elsewhere4 ,hence  
,european       savans study the ,new   
,york ,reports with eagerness4 ,in      
#ahej1 as ,i       entered the          
,woodwardian ,museum1 in the ,university
 of ,cambridge1       in ,england1 ,i   
found ,professor ,mc,coy busy with a    
collection of       ,silurian fossils   
before him1 which he was studying with  
,hall's       first volume of           
,paleontology as his guide2 and in the  

splendid       volumes1 entitled        
,british ,paleozoric ,rocks and         
,fossils1 which       appeared last year
 as the result of those researches1 ,i  
find       ,professor ,hall denominated 
the great ,american ,paleontologist4 ,i 
tell you1 ,sir1 that this survey has    
given ,new ,york a reputation           
throughout the learned world1 of which  
she may well be proud4 ,am       ,i told
 that it will1 probably1 cost half a    
million8 ,very well4       ,the larger  
the sum1 the higher will be the         
reputation of ,new       ,york for      
liberality2 and what other half million 
expended in our       country1 has      
developed so many new facts or thrown so
 much light       upon the history of   
the globe1 or won so world-wide and     
enviable       a reputation8    ,and of 
,geological ,surveys in general3--      
,in regard to this matter of geological 
surveys1 ,i can hardly       avoid      
making a suggestion here4 ,so large a   
portion of our country       has now    

been examined1 more or less thoroughly1 
by the several       ,state governments1
 that it does seem to me the time has   
come       when the ,national government
 should order a survey--geological1     
zoological1 and botanical--of the whole 
country1 on such a       liberal and    
thorough plan as the surveys in ,great  
,britain are       now conducted2 in the
 latter country it being understood that
 at       least thirty years will be    
occupied in the work4 ,could not the    
distinguished ,new ,york statesman who  
was to have addressed us       to-day be
 induced1 when the present great        
struggle in which he       is engaged   
shall have been brought to a close1 by a
 merciful       ,providence1 to         
introduce this subject1 and urge it upon
 ,congress8       ,and would it not be  
appropriate for the ,american           
,association       for the ,advancement 
of ,science to throw a petition before  
the       government for such an object8
 ,or might it not1 with the consent     

of the eminent gentleman who has charge 
of the ,coast ,survey1 be               
connected therewith1 as it is with the  
,ordnance ,survey in ,great             
,britain4    ,the history of the        
,american ,association was then given3--
         ,prof4 ,mather1 ,i believe1    
through ,prof4 ,emmons1 first suggested 
to       the ,new-,york ,board of       
,geologists in ,november1 #ahch1 in a   
letter       proposing a number of      
points for their consideration4 ,i quote
       from him the following paragraph 
relating to the meeting4 ,as to         
the credit he has here given me of      
having personally suggested       the   
subject1 ,i can say only that ,i had    
been in the habit for       several     
years of making this meeting of         
scientific men a sort       of hobby in 
my correspondence with such4 ,whether   
others did the       same1 ,i did not   
then1 and do not now know4 ,were this   
the proper       place1 ,i could go more
 into detail on this point2 but ,i will 

merely quote ,prof4 ,mather's language  
to the ,board3--           99 99 99 99  
,would it not be well to suggest the    
propriety of a       meeting of         
,geologists and other scientific men of 
our country at       some central point 
next fall1--say at ,new-,york or        
,philadelphia8       ,there are many    
questions in our ,geology that will     
receive new       light from friendly   
discussion and the combined observations
 of       various individuals who have  
noted them in different parts of our    
country4 ,such a meeting has been       
suggested by ,prof4 ,hitchcock2         
and to me it seems desirable4 ,it would 
undoubtedly be an       advantage not   
only to science but to the several      
surveys that are       now in progress  
and that may in future be authorized4   
,it would       tend to make known our  
scientific men to each other personally1
       give them more confidence in each
 other1 and cause them to               
concentrate their observation on those  

questions that are of       interest in 
either a scientific or economical point 
of view4 ,more       questions may be   
satisfactorily settled in a day by oral 
discussion in such a body1 than a year  
by writing and       publication4,a     
,footnote ,a3 ,in the letter alluded to1
 on examination1 we       discover      
another passage bearing on the point1   
which1 owing to       the ,professor's  
modesty we suspect1 he did not read4    
,prof4 ,mather       adds4 ,you1 so far 
as ,i know1 first suggested the matter  
of such       an ,association4 ,i laid  
the matter before the ,board of         
,geologists       of ,new-,york1        
specifying some of the advantages that  
might be       expected to result2 and  
,prof4 ,vanuxem probably made the motion
       before the ,board in regard to   
it4         ,though the ,board adopted  
the plan of a meeting1 various causes   
delayed the first over till ,april1     
#ahdj1 when we assembled in             
,philadelphia1 and spent a week in most 

profitable and pleasant                 
discussion1 and the presentation of     
papers4 ,our number that year       was 
only #ah1 because confined almost       
exclusively to the ,state               
geologists2 but the next year1 when we  
met again in ,philadelphia1       and a 
more extended invitation was given1     
about eighty were       present2 and the
 members have been increasing to the    
present       time4 ,but1 in fact1 those
 first two meetings proved the type1 in 
all things essential1 of all that have  
followed4 ,the principal       changes  
have been those of expansion and the    
consequent       introduction of many   
other branches of science with their    
eminent       cultivators4 ,in #ahdb1 we
 changed the name to that of the        
,association of ,american ,geologists   
and ,naturalists2 and in #ahdg1       to
 that of the ,american ,association for 
the ,advancement of       ,science4 ,i  
trust it has not yet reached its fullest
 development1       as our country and  

its scientific men multiply1 and new    
fields of       discovery open4         
,prof4 ,h4 said of this particular      
occasion3--         ,we may be quite    
sure that this ,hall will be a center of
 deep       interest to coming          
generations4 ,long after we shall have  
passed       away will the men of       
,new-,york1 as they survey these        
monuments1       feel stimulated to     
engage in other noble enterprises by    
this       work of their progenitors1   
and from many a distant part of the     
civilized world will men come here to   
solve their scientific       questions1 
and to bring far-off regions into       
comparison with       this4 ,new-,york1 
then1 by her liberal patronage1 has not 
only       acquired an honorable name   
among those living in all civilized     
lands1 but has secured the voice of     
,history to transmit her fame       to  
far-off generations4                    
,,sir ,,william ,,logan ,,asks ,,the    
,,way ,,to ,,albany4    ,sir ,,william  

,e4 ,,logan1 of ,canada1 in a brief     
speech acknowledged the  services       
rendered by the ,new-,york ,survey to   
,canada4 ,he should manifest            
ingratitude if he declined to unite in  
the joyful occasion of  inaugurating the
 ,museum which was to hold forever the  
evidence of the  truth of its published 
results4 ,the ,survey of ,canada had    
been ordered1  and the ,commission of   
five years twice renewed2 and the last  
time1 the  provision for it was more    
than doubled4 ,it happened to him1 as   
,mr4  ,agassiz had said3 after crossing 
the ocean first1 the first thing he     
asked was1 ,which is the way to ,albany8
 and when he arrived here1 he  found    
that with the aid of ,prof4 ,hall's     
discoveries1 he had only to take  up the
 different formations as he had left    
them on the boundary line1  and follow  
them into ,canada4 ,it was both a       
convenience and a necessity  to adopt   
the ,new-,york nomenclature1 which was  
thus extended over an area  six times as

 large as ,new-,york4 ,in ,paris he     
heard ,de ,vernier using the  words     
,trenton and ,niagara1 as if they were  
household words4 ,he was  delighted to  
witness the impatience with which       
,barron inquired when the  remaining    
volumes of the ,paleontology of         
,new-,york would be published4  ,your   
,paleontological reputation1 said he1   
has made ,new-,york known1  even among  
men not scientific1 all over ,europe4 ,i
 hope you will not  stop here1 but will 
go on and give us in equally thorough1  
full1 and  magnificent style1 the       
character of the ,durassic and          
,cretaceous  formations4                
,,professor ,,henry ,,on ,,dutchmen4    
,professor ,,henry was at a loss to know
 by what process they had arrived  at   
the conclusion that seven men of science
 must be substituted to fill  the place 
of one distinguished statesman whom they
 had expected to hear4  ,he prided      
himself on his ,albany nativity4 ,he was
 proud of the old ,dutch  character1    

that was the substratum of the city4    
,the ,dutch are hard to be  moved1 but  
when they do start their momentum is not
 as other men's in  proportion to the   
velocity1 but as the square of the      
velocity4 ,so when  the ,dutchman goes  
three times as fast1 he has nine times  
the force of  another man4 ,the         
,dutchman has an immense potentia       
agency1 but it wants a  small spark of  
,yankee enterprise to touch it off4 ,in 
this strain the  ,professor continued1  
making his audience very merry1 and     
giving them a  fine chance to express   
themselves with repeated explosions of  
laughter4                ,,professor    
,,davies ,,on ,,the ,,practical ,,nature
 ,,of ,,science4    ,prof4 ,,charles    
,,davies was introduced by              
,,ex-,,governor ,,seymour1 and spoke    
briefly1 but humorously and very much to
 the point1 in defense of the  practical
 character of scientific researches4 ,he
 said that to one  accustomed to speak  
only on the abstract quantities of      

number and space1  this was an unusual  
occasion1 and this an unusual audience2 
and inquired  how he could discuss the  
abstract forms of geometry1 when he saw 
before  him1 in such profusion1 the most
 beautiful real forms that ,providence  
has vouchsafed to the life of man4 ,he  
proposed to introduce and develop  but a
 single train of thought--the           
unchangeable connection between what  in
 common language is called the          
theoretical and practical1 but in more  
technical phraseology1 the ideal and the
 actual4 ,the actual1 or true           
practical1 consists in the uses of the  
forces of nature1 according to  the laws
 of nature2 and here we must distinguish
 between it and the  empirical1 which   
uses1 or attempts to use1 those forces1 
without a  knowledge of the laws4 ,the  
true practical1 therefore1 is the       
result1 or  actual1 of an antecedent    
ideal4 ,the ideal1 full and complete1   
must exist  in the mind before the      
actual can be brought forth according to

 the  laws of science4 ,who1 then1 are  
the truly practical men of our age8 ,are
  they not those who are engaged most   
laboriously and successfully in         
investigating the great laws8 ,are they 
not those who are pressing out  the     
boundaries of knowledge1 and conducting 
the mind into new and  unexplored       
regions1 where there may yet be         
discovered a ,california of  undeveloped
 thought8 ,is not the gentleman from    
,massachusetts 7,professor  ,agassiz7   
the most practical man in our country in
 the department of  ,natural ,history1  
not because he has collected the        
greatest number of  specimens1 but      
because he has laid open to us all the  
laws of the animal  kingdom8 ,are the   
formulas written on the black-board by  
the gentleman  from ,cambridge 7,prof4  
,pierce7 of no practical value1 because 
they cannot  be read by the uninstructed
 eye8 ,a single line may contain the    
elements  of the motions of all the     
heavenly bodies2 and the eye of science1

  taking its stand-point at the center  
of gravity of the system1 will  see in  
the equation the harmonious revolutions 
of all the bodies which  circle the     
heavens4 ,it is such labors and such    
generalizations that have  rendered his 
name illustrious in the history of      
mathematical science4  ,is it of no     
practical value that the ,chief of the  
,coast ,survey 7,prof4  ,bache71 by a   
few characters written upon paper1 at   
,washington1 has  determined the exact  
time of high and low tide in the harbor 
of ,boston1  and can determine1 by a    
similar process1 the exact times of high
 and low  water at every point on the   
surface of the globe8 ,are not these    
results1  the highest efforts of        
science1 also of the greatest practical 
utility8  ,and may we not1 then1        
conclude that there is nothing truly    
practical  which is not the consequence 
of an antecedent ideal8    ,science is  
to art what the great fly-wheel and     
governor of a  steam-engine are to the  

working part of the machinery--it       
guides1  regulates1 and controls the    
whole4 ,science and art are inseparably 
connected2 like the ,siamese ,twins1    
they cannot be separated without        
producing the death of both4    ,how1   
then1 are we to regard the superb       
specimens of natural history1  which the
 liberality1 the munificence2 and the   
wisdom of our ,state have  collected at 
the ,capitol8 ,they are the elements    
from which we can here  determine all   
that belongs to the ,natural ,history of
 our ,state2 and may  we not indulge the
 hope1 that science and genius will come
 here1 and1  striking them with a magic 
wand1 cause the true practical to spring
 into  immortal life8      ,remarks were
 also uttered by ,prof4 ,,chester       
,,dewey1 ,president ,,anderson1  and    
,rev4 ,dr4 ,,cox4    ,and thus ended the
 ,inauguration of the ,state ,geological
 ,hall4    ,we turn to the ,observatory1
 in regular order of succession4        
,,inauguration ,,of ,,dudley            

,,observatory4      ,the ,inauguration  
of the ,dudley ,observatory took place  
under the same  tent which was          
appropriated to the dedication of the   
,geological ,hall1  and on the day      
following that event4 ,an immense       
audience was assembled1  drawn by the   
announcement of ,mr4 ,,everett',s       
,oration4    ,at a little past three    
o'clock the procession of savans arrived
 from  the ,assembly ,chamber1 escorted 
by the ,burgesses ,corps4 ,directly in  
front  of the speaker's stand sat ,mrs4 
,,dudley1 the venerable lady to whose   
munificence the world is indebted for   
this ,observatory4 ,she was dressed  in 
an antique1 olive-colored silk1 with a  
figure of a lighter color1 a  heavy1 red
 broch shawl1 and her bonnet1 cap1 c41  
after the strictest  style of the old   
school4 ,her presence added a new point 
of interest4    ,prayer having been     
uttered by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,,sprague1 of     
,albany1 ,,thomas ,w4  ,,olcott1 ,esq41 
introduced to the audience ,ex-,governor

 ,,washington ,,hunt1  who spoke briefly
 in honor of the memory of ,,charles ,e4
 ,,dudley1 whose  widow has founded and 
in part endowed this ,observatory with a
 liberality  so remarkable4    ,remarks 
were offered by ,dr4 ,b4 ,a4 ,,gould and
 ,prof4 ,a4 ,d4 ,,bache1 and  ,judge    
,,harris read the following letter from 
,mrs4 ,,dudley1 announcing  another     
munificent donation in aid of the new   
,observatory--#ej1jjj1  in addition to  
the #be1jjj which had been already      
expended in the  construction of the    
building4 ,the letter was received with 
shouts of  applause1 ,prof4 ,,agassiz   
rising and leading the vast assemblage  
in three  vehement cheers in honor of   
,mrs4 ,,dudley6                         
,,albany1 ,thursday1 ,aug4 #ad1 #ahef4  
,to the ,trustees of the ,dudley        
,observatory3         ,,gentlemen1--,i  
scarcely need refer in a letter to you  
to the       modest beginning and       
gradual growth of the institution over  
which       you preside1 and of which   

you are the responsible guardians4 ,but 
we have arrived at a period in its      
history when its inauguration           
gives to it and to you some degree of   
prominence1 and which must       stamp  
our past efforts with weakness and      
inconsideration1 or       exalt those of
 the future to the measure of liberality
 necessary       to certain success4    
,you have a building erected and        
instruments engaged of unrivaled        
excellence2 and it now remains to carry 
out the suggestion of       the         
,astronomer ,royal of ,england in giving
 permanency to the       establishment4 
,the very distinguished ,professors     
,,bache1 ,,pierce1       and ,,gould1   
state in a letter1 which ,i have been   
permitted to see1       that to expand  
this institution to the wants of        
,american science       and the honors  
of a national character1 will require an
       investment which will yield      
annually not less than #aj1jjj2 and     
these gentlemen say1 in the letter      

referred to1--         ,if the greatness
 of your giving can rise to this        
occasion1 as       it has to all our    
previous suggestions1 with such         
unflinching       magnanimity1 we       
promise you our earnest and hearty      
coperation1       and stake our         
reputation that the scientific success  
shall fill       up the measure of your 
hopes and anticipations4         ,for   
the attainment of an object so rich in  
scientific reward and       national    
glory1 guaranteed by men with           
reputations as exalted and              
enduring as the skies upon which they   
are written1 contributions       should 
be general1 and not confined to an      
individual or a place4         ,for     
myself1 ,i offer1 as my part of the     
required endowment1 the       sum of    
#ej1jjj in addition to the advances     
which ,i have already       made2 and1  
trusting that the name which you have   
given to the       ,observatory may not 
be regarded as an undeserved compliment1

 and       that it will not diminish the
 public regard by giving to the         
institution a seemingly individual      
character1                         ,i   
remain1 ,gentlemen1 your obedient       
servant1                                
,,blandina ,,dudley4    ,judge ,,harris 
then introduced the ,orator of the      
occasion1 ,hon4 ,,edward  ,,everett1    
whose speech is given verbatim in these 
pages4                      ,,the       
,,instruments ,,of ,,the ,,dudley       
,,observatory4    ,during the ,sessions 
of the ,american ,association1 the new  
,astronomical  ,instruments of ,dudley  
,observatory were described in detail by
 ,dr4 ,b4 ,a4  ,,gould1 who is the      
,astronomer in charge4 ,we condense his 
statements3--         ,the ,meridian    
,circle and ,transit instrument were    
ordered from       ,pistor  ,martins1   
the celebrated manufacturers of ,berlin1
 by       whom the new instrument at    
,ann ,arbor was made4 ,a number of      
improvements have been introduced in the

 ,albany instruments1 not       perhaps 
all absolutely new1 but an eclectic     
combination of late       adaptations   
with new improvements4 ,dr4 ,gould made 
a distinction       of modern           
astronomical instruments into two       
classes1 the ,english       and the     
,german4 ,the ,english is the massive   
type2 the ,german1       light and airy4
 ,the ,english instrument is the        
instrument of the       engineer2 the   
,german1 the instrument of the artist4  
,in ordering       the instruments for  
the ,albany ,observatory1 the ,doctor   
preferred       the ,german type and    
discarded the heavier ,english4 ,he     
instanced1       as a specimen of the   
latter1 the new instrument at           
,greenwich1       recently erected under
 the superintendence of the ,astronomer 
,royal4 ,that instrument registers      
observations in single seconds2         
the ,dudley instrument will register to 
tenths of seconds4 ,that       has six  
or eight microscopes2 this has four4    

,that has a gas lamp1       by the light
 of which the graduations are read off2 
the ,albany       instrument has no     
lamp1 and the ,doctor considered the    
lamp a       hazardous experiment1      
affecting the integrity of the          
experiment1       not only by its       
radiant heat but by the currents of     
heated air       which it produces4 ,the
 diameter of the object-glass of the    
,albany       instrument is #g-a_/b     
,french inches clear aperture1 or #h    
,english       inches1 and the length of
 the tube #h feet4 ,he would have       
preferred an instrument in which the    
facilities of manipulation       would  
have been greater1 but was hampered by  
one proviso1 upon       which the       
,trustees of the institution            
insisted--that this should       be the 
biggest instrument of its kind2 and the 
instruction was       obeyed4 ,the glass
 was made by ,chance1 and ground by     
,pistor       himself4 ,the eye-piece is
 fitted with two micrometers1 for       

vertical and horizontal observations4   
,another apparatus provides       for   
the detection and measurement of the    
flexure of the tube4       ,much trouble
 was experienced in securing a good     
casting for the       steel axis of the 
instrument4 ,three were found imperfect 
under       the lathe1 and the fourth   
was chosen2 but even then the pivots    
were made in separate pieces1 which were
 set in very deeply and       welded4   
,dr4 ,gould said he had been requested  
by the gentlemen who       had this     
enterprise in charge to suggest1 as a   
mark of respect to       a gentleman of 
,albany who was a munificent patron of  
,science1       that this instrument be 
known as the ,olcott ,meridian ,circle4 
,,what ,,the ,,dudley ,,observatory     
,,is4    ,it stands a mile from the     
,capitol1 in the city of ,albany1 upon  
the crest  of a hill1 so difficult of   
approach1 as to be in reality a ,hill of
  ,science4 ,there are two ways of      
getting to it4 ,in both cases there are 

rail fences to be clambered over1 and   
long grass to wade through1  settlements
 to explore1 and a clayey road to       
travel2 but these are minor  troubles4  
,the elevation of the hill above        
tide-water is1 perhaps1 #bjj  feet2 its 
distance from the ,capitol about a mile 
and a half4 ,the view  for miles is     
unimpeded2 and the ,observatory is      
belted about with woods  and verdant    
lawns4 ,there could not be a finer      
location or a purer air4  ,the plateau  
contains some fifteen acres4    ,the    
,observatory is constructed in the form 
of a ,latin cross4 ,its eastern  arm is 
an apartment #bb by #bd feet1 in which  
the meridian circle is to be  placed4   
,the western arm is a room of the same  
dimensions1 intended for  the transit   
instrument4 ,from the north and south   
faces of both rooms  are semi-circular  
apsides1 projecting #f feet #f inches1  
containing the  ,collimator piers and   
the vertical openings for observation4  
,the entire  length of each room is1    

therefore1 #cg feet4 ,in the northern   
arm are  placed the library1 #bc feet by
 #bg feet2 two computing rooms1 #ab feet
  by #bc feet each2 side entrance halls1
 staircases1 c4 ,the southern arm       
contains the principal entrance1        
consisting of an arched colonnade of    
four ,tuscan columns1 surrounded by a   
pediment4 ,a broad flight of stone      
steps leads to this colonnade2 and      
through the entrance door beneath  it to
 the main central hall1 #bh feet square1
 in which are placed 7in  niches7 the   
very beautiful electric clock and       
pendulum presented by  ,erastus         
,corning1 ,esq4 ,the center of this hall
 is occupied by a massive  pier of      
stone1 #aj feet square1 passing from the
 basement into the dome  above1 and     
intended for the support of the great   
heliometer4 ,directly  opposite the     
entrance door is a large niche1 in which
 it is proposed to  place the bust of   
the late ,mr4 ,dudley4 ,immediately     
above this hall is  the equatorial room1

 a circular apartment1 #bb feet #f      
inches in diameter1  and #bd feet high1 
covered by a low conical roof1 in which 
and in the  walls are the usual         
observing slits4 ,the drum1 or          
cylindrical portion1  of this room is   
divided into two parts--the lower one   
fixed1 the upper1  revolving on         
cast-iron balls moving in grooved metal 
plates1 can command  the entire horizon4
    ,the building is in two stories--the
 upper of brick1 with freestone  quoins1
 impost and window and door dressings1  
rests upon a rusticated  basement of    
freestone1 six feet high4 ,the style    
adopted is the modern  ,italian1 of     
which it is a very excellent specimen4  
,the building has been  completed some  
time2 but1 in consequence of the size of
 the instruments  now procured being    
greater than that originally            
contemplated1 sundry  alterations were  
required in the ,transit and ,meridian  
,circle rooms4  ,these consist of the   
semi-circular projections already       

mentioned1 and  which1 by varying the   
outlines of the building1 will add      
greatly to its  beauty and              
picturesqueness4    ,the piers for the  
,meridian ,circle and ,transit have1    
after careful  investigation1 been      
procured from the ,lockport quarries4   
,the great  density and uniformity of   
the structure of the stone1 and the     
facility  with which such large masses  
as are required for this purpose can be 
procured there1 have induced the        
selection of these quarries4 ,the stones
  will weigh from six and a half to     
eight tons each4    ,the main building  
was erected from the drawings of        
,messrs4 ,woollett and  ,ogden1         
,architects1 ,albany2 the additions and 
the machinery have been  designed by    
,mr4 ,w4 ,hodgins1 ,civil ,engineer2 and
 the latter is now being  constructed   
under his superintendence1 in a very    
superior manner1 at the  iron works of  
,messrs4 ,pruyn and ,lansing1 ,albany4  
,the entire building is a tasteful and  

elegant structure1 much superior  in    
architectural character to any other in 
,america devoted to a similar  purpose4 
,,oration4      ,,fellow ,,citizens ,,of
 ,,albany3--    ,assembled as we are1   
under your auspices1 in this ancient and
 hospitable  city1 for an object        
indicative of a highly-advanced stage of
 scientific  culture1 it is natural1 in 
the first place1 to cast a historical   
glance  at the past4 ,it seems almost to
 surpass belief1 though an unquestioned 
fact1 that more than a century should   
have passed away1 after ,cabot had      
discovered the coast of ,north ,america 
for ,england1 before any knowledge  was 
gained of the noble river on which your 
city stands1 and which was  destined by 
,providence to determine1 in after      
times1 the position of the  commercial  
metropolis of the ,continent4 ,it is    
true that ,verazzano1 a  bold and       
sagacious ,florentine navigator1 in the 
service of ,france1 had  entered the    
,narrows in #aebd1 which he describes as

 a very large river1  deep at its mouth1
 which forced its way through steep     
hills to the sea2  but though he1 like  
all the naval adventurers of that age1  
was sailing  westward in search of a    
shorter passage to ,india1 he left this 
part  of the coast without any attempt  
to ascend the river2 nor can it be      
gathered from his narrative that he     
believed it to penetrate far into  the  
interior4                               
,,voyage ,,of ,,hendrick ,,hudson4      
,near a hundred years elapsed before    
that great thought acquired  substance  
and form4 ,in the spring of #afji1 the  
heroic but unfortunate  ,hudson1 one of 
the brightest names in the history of   
,english maritime  adventure1 but then  
in the employment of the ,dutch ,east   
,india ,company1  in a vessel of eighty 
tons1 bearing the very astronomical name
 of the  ,half ,moon1 having been       
stopped by the ice in the ,polar ,sea1  
in the  attempt to reach the ,east by   
the way of ,nova ,zembla1 struck over to

 the  coast of ,america in a high       
northern latitude4 ,he then stretched   
down  southwardly to the entrance of    
,chesapeake ,bay 7of which he had gained
  a knowledge from the charts and       
descriptions of his friend1 ,captain    
,smith71 thence returning to the north1 
entered ,delaware ,bay1 standing  out   
again to sea1 arrived on the second of  
,september in sight of the  high hills  
of ,neversink1 pronouncing it a good    
land to fall in with1  and a pleasant   
land to see2 and1 on the following      
morning1 sending his  boat before him to
 sound the way1 passed ,sandy ,hook1 and
 there came to  anchor on the third of  
,september1 #afji2 two hundred and      
forty-seven  years ago next ,wednesday4 
,what an event1 my friends1 in the      
history of  ,american population1       
enterprise1 commerce1 intelligence1 and 
power--the  dropping of that anchor at  
,sandy ,hook6                           
,,discovery ,,of ,,the ,,hudson ,,river4
    ,here he lingered a week1 in        

friendly intercourse with the natives of
 ,new  ,jersey1 while a boat's company  
explored the waters up to ,newark ,bay4 
,and  now the great question4 ,shall he 
turn back1 like ,verazzano1 or ascend   
the stream8 ,hudson was of a race not   
prone to turn back1 by sea or by  land4 
,on the eleventh of ,september he raised
 the anchor of the ,half  ,moon1 passed 
through the ,narrows1 beholding on both 
sides as beautiful  a land as one can   
tread on2 and floated cautiously and    
slowly up the  noble stream--the first  
ship that ever rested on its bosom4 ,he 
passed  the ,palisades1 nature's dark   
basaltic ,malakoff1 forced the iron     
gateway  of the ,highlands1 anchored1 on
 the fourteenth1 near ,west ,point2     
swept  onward and upward1 the following 
day1 by grassy meadows and tangled      
slopes1 hereafter to be covered with    
smiling villages2--by elevated  banks   
and woody heights1 the destined site of 
towns and cities--of  ,newburg1         
,poughkeepsie1 ,catskill2--on the       

evening of the fifteenth  arrived       
opposite the mountains which lie from   
the river side1 where  he found a very  
loving people and very old men2 and the 
day following  sailed by the spot       
hereafter to be honored by his own      
illustrious name4  ,one more day wafts  
him up between ,schodac and ,castleton2 
and here he  landed and passed a day    
with the natives1--greeted with all     
sorts of  barbarous hospitality1--the   
land the finest for cultivation he ever 
set  foot on1 the natives so kind and   
gentle1 that when they found he would   
not remain with them over night1 and    
feared that he left them--poor  children
 of nature6--because he was afraid of   
their weapons1--he1 whose  quarter-deck 
was heavy with ordnance1--they broke    
their arrows in  pieces1 and threw them 
in the fire4 ,on the following morning1 
with  the early flood-tide1 on the #aith
 of ,september1 #afji1 the ,half ,moon  
ran higher up1 two leagues above the    
,shoals1 and came to anchor in  deep    

water1 near the site of the present city
 of ,albany4 ,happy if he  could have   
closed his gallant career on the banks  
of the stream which  so justly bears his
 name1 and thus have escaped the        
sorrowful and  mysterious catastrophe   
which awaited him the next year6        
,,champlain',s ,,voyage ,,and ,,the     
,,growth ,,of ,,colonies4    ,but the   
discovery of your great river and of the
 site of your ancient  city1 is not the 
only event which renders the year #afji 
memorable in the  annals of ,america and
 the world4 ,it was one of those years  
in which a  sort of sympathetic movement
 toward great results unconsciously     
pervades  the races and the minds of    
men4 ,while ,hudson discovered this     
mighty  river and this vast region for  
the ,dutch ,east ,india ,company1       
,champlain1  in the same year1 carried  
the lilies of ,france to the beautiful  
lake which bears his name on your       
northern limits2 the languishing        
establishments of ,england in ,virginia 

were strengthened by the second  charter
 granted to that colony2 the little     
church of ,robinson removed  from       
,amsterdam to ,leyden1 from which1 in a 
few years1 they went forth1  to lay the 
foundations of ,new ,england on         
,plymouth ,rock2 the seven ,united      
,provinces of the ,netherlands1 after   
that terrific struggle of forty  years  
7the commencement of which has just been
 embalmed in a record  worthy of the    
great event by an ,american historian7  
wrested from ,spain  the virtual        
acknowledgment of their independence1 in
 the ,twelve ,years'  ,truce2 and ,james
 the ,first1 in the same year1 granted  
to the ,british  ,east ,india ,company  
their first permanent                   
charter1--corner-stone of an  empire    
destined in two centuries to overshadow 
the ,east4                              
,,galileo',s ,,discoveries    ,one more 
incident is wanting to complete the list
 of the memorable  occurrences which    
signalize the year #afji1 and one most  

worthy to be  remembered by us on this  
occasion4 ,cotemporaneously with the    
events  which ,i have enumerated--eras  
of history1 dates of empire1 the        
starting-point in some of the greatest  
political1 social1 and moral            
revolutions in our annals1 an ,italian  
astronomer1 who had heard of the        
magnifying glasses which had been made  
in ,holland1 by which distant  objects  
could be brought seemingly near1 caught 
at the idea1 constructed  a telescope1  
and pointed it to the heavens4 ,yes1 my 
friends1 in the same  year in which     
,hudson discovered your river and the   
site of your ancient  town1 in which    
,robinson made his melancholy hegira    
from ,amsterdam to  ,leyden1 ,galileo   
,galilei1 with a telescope1 the work of 
his own hands1  discovered the phases of
 ,venus and the satellites of ,jupiter2 
and now1  after the lapse of less than  
two centuries and a half1 on a spot then
  embosomed in the wilderness--the      
covert of the least civilized of all    

the races of men--we are                
assembled--descendants of the           
,hollanders1  descendants of the        
,pilgrims1 in this ancient and          
prosperous city1 to  inaugurate the     
establishment of a first-class          
,astronomical ,observatory4             
,,early ,,days ,,of ,,albany4    ,one   
more glance at your early history4      
,three years after the landing of  the  
,pilgrims at ,plymouth1 ,fort ,orange   
was erected1 in the center of what  is  
now the business part of the city of    
,albany2 and1 a few years later1  the   
little hamlet of ,beverswyck began to   
nestle under its walls4 ,two  centuries 
ago1 my ,albanian friends1 this very    
year1 and ,i believe this  very month of
 ,august1 your forefathers assembled1   
not to inaugurate an  observatory1 but  
to lay the foundations of a new church1 
in the place of  the rude cabin which   
had hitherto served them in that        
capacity4 ,it was  built at the         
intersection of ,yonker's and           

,handelaar's1 better known  to you as   
,state and ,market streets4 ,public and 
private liberality  coperated in the    
important work4 ,the authorities at the 
,fort gave  fifteen hundred guilders2   
the patroon of that early day1 with the 
liberality coval with the name and the  
race1 contributed a thousand2  while the
 inhabitants1 for whose benefit it was  
erected1 whose numbers  were small and  
their resources smaller1 contributed    
twenty beavers for  the purchase of an  
oaken pulpit in ,holland4 ,whether the  
largest part of  this subscription was  
bestowed by some liberal benefactress1  
tradition  has not informed us4         
,,new ,,amsterdam    ,nor is the year   
#afef memorable in the annals of ,albany
 alone4 ,in  that same year your        
imperial metropolis1 then numbering     
about three  hundred inhabitants1 was   
first laid out as a city1 by the name of
 ,new  ,amsterdam4,a ,in eight years    
more1 ,new ,netherland becomes ,new     
,york2 ,fort  ,orange and its dependent 

hamlet assumes the name of ,albany4 ,a  
century  of various fortune succeeds2   
the scourge of ,french and ,indian war  
is  rarely absent from the land2 every  
shock of ,european policy vibrates  with
 electric rapidity across the ,atlantic2
 but the year #agef finds  a population 
of #cjj1jjj in your growing province4   
,albany1 however1  may still be regarded
 almost as a frontier settlement4 ,of   
the twelve  counties into which the     
province was divided a hundred years    
ago1 the  county of ,albany comprehended
 all that lay north and west of the     
city2  and the city itself contained but
 about three hundred and fifty houses4  
,footnote ,a3 ,these historical notices 
are1 for the most part1 abridged  from  
,mr4 ,brodhead's excellent history of   
,new ,york4                             
,,two ,,hundred ,,years4    ,one more   
century2 another act in the great drama 
of empire2 another  ,french and ,indian 
,war beneath the banners of ,england2 a 
successful  ,revolution1 of which some  

of the most momentous events occurred   
within  your limits2 a union of ,states2
 a ,constitution of ,federal            
,government2  your population carried to
 the ,st4 ,lawrence and the great       
,lakes1 and  their waters poured into   
the ,hudson2 your territory covered with
 a  net-work of canals and railroads1   
filled with life and action1 and  power1
 with all the works of peaceful art and 
prosperous enterprise with  all the     
institutions which constitute and       
advance the civilization of  the age2   
its population exceeding that of the    
,union at the date of the  ,revolution2 
your own numbers twice as large as those
 of the largest city  of that day1 you  
have met together1 my ,friends1 just two
 hundred years  since the erection of   
the little church of ,beverswyck1 to    
dedicate a  noble temple of science and 
to take a becoming public notice of the 
establishment of an institution1        
destined1 as we trust1 to exert a       
beneficial influence on the progress of 

useful knowledge at home and  abroad1   
and through that on the general cause of
 civilization4                          
,,scientific ,,progress4    ,you will   
observe that ,i am careful to say the   
progress of science at  home and abroad2
 for the study of ,astronomy in this    
country has long  since1 ,i am happy to 
add1 passed that point where it is      
content to  repeat the observations and 
verify the results of ,european         
research4 ,it  has boldly and           
successfully entered the field of       
original investigation1  discovery1 and 
speculation2 and there is not now a     
single department of  the science in    
which the names of ,american observers  
and mathematicians  are not cited by our
 brethren across the water1 side by side
 with the  most eminent of their        
,european contemporaries4    ,this state
 of things is certainly recent4 ,during 
the colonial period  and in the first   
generation after the ,revolution1 no    
department of  science was1 for obvious 

causes1 very extensively cultivated in  
,america--astronomy perhaps as much as  
the kindred branches4 ,the  improvement 
in the quadrant1 commonly known as      
,hadley's1 had already  been made at    
,philadelphia by ,godfrey1 in the early 
part of the last  century2 and the      
beautiful invention of the collimating  
telescope was  made at a later period by
 ,rittenhouse1 an astronomer of         
distinguished  repute4 ,the transits of 
,venus of #agfa and #agfi were observed1
 and  orreries were constructed in      
different parts of the country2 and some
  respectable scientific essays are     
contained and valuable observations  are
 recorded in the early volumes of the   
,transactions of the  ,philosophical    
,society1 at ,philadelphia1 and the     
,american ,academy of ,arts  and        
,sciences at ,boston and ,cambridge4    
,but in the absence of a numerous  class
 of men of science to encourage and aid 
each other1 without  observatories and  
without valuable instruments1 little of 

importance  could be expected in the    
higher walks of astronomical life4      
,,american ,,observations4    ,the      
greater the credit due for the          
achievement of an enterprise  commenced 
in the early part of the present        
century1 and which would  reflect honor 
on the science of any country and any   
age2 ,i mean the  translation and       
commentary on ,laplace's ,mcanique      
,celeste1 by  ,bowditch2 a work of whose
 merit ,i am myself wholly unable to    
form  an opinion1 but which ,i suppose  
places the learned translator and       
commentator on a level with the ablest  
astronomers and geometers of the  day4  
,this work may be considered as opening 
a new era in the history  of ,american  
science4 ,the country was still almost  
wholly deficient in  instrumental power2
 but the want was generally felt by men 
of science1  and the public mind in     
various parts of the country began to be
 turned  towards the means of supplying 
it4 ,in #ahbe1 ,president ,john ,quincy 

,adams  brought the subject of a        
,national ,observatory before ,congress4
 ,political  considerations prevented   
its being favorably entertained at that 
time2 and it was not till #ahdb1 and as 
an incident of the exploring            
expedition1 that an appropriation was   
made for a dpt for the charts  and      
instruments of the ,navy4 ,on this      
modest basis has been reared the        
,national ,observatory at ,washington2  
an institution which has already  taken 
and fully sustains an honorable position
 among the scientific  establishments of
 the age4    ,besides the institution at
 ,washington1 fifteen or twenty         
observatories  have within the last few 
years1 been established in different    
parts  of the country1 some of them on a
 modest scale1 for the gratification  of
 the scientific taste and zeal of       
individuals1 others on a broad          
foundation of expense and usefulness4   
,in these establishments1  public and   
private1 the means are provided for the 

highest order of  astronomical          
observation1 research1 and instruction4 
,there is already  in the country an    
amount of instrumental power 7to which  
addition  is constantly making71 and of 
mathematical skill on the part of our   
men of science1 adequate to a manly     
competition with their ,european        
contemporaries4 ,the fruits are already 
before the world1 in the  triangulation 
of several of the ,states1 in the great 
work of the ,coast  ,survey1 in the     
numerous scientific surveys of the      
interior of the  ,continent1 in the     
astronomical department of the          
,exploring ,expedition1  in the         
scientific expedition to ,chili1 in the 
brilliant hydrographical  labors of the 
,observatory at ,washington1 in the     
published observations  of ,washington  
and ,cambridge1 in the ,journal         
conducted by the ,nestor  of ,american  
,science1 now in its eighth lustrum2 in 
the ,sidereal  ,messenger1 the          
,astronomical ,journal1 and the         

,national ,ephemeris2  in the great     
chronometrical expeditions to determine 
the longitude of  ,cambridge1 better    
ascertained than that of ,paris was till
 within the  last year2 in the prompt   
rectification of the errors in the      
predicted  elements of ,neptune2 in its 
identification with ,lalande's missing  
star1  and in the calculation of its    
ephemeris2 in the discovery of the      
satellite of ,neptune1 of the eighth    
satellite of ,saturn1 and of the        
innermost of its rings2 in the          
establishment1 both by observation and  
theory1 of the non-solid character of   
,saturn's rings2 in the separation  and 
measurement of many double and triple   
stars1 amenable only to  superior       
instrumental power1 in the immense labor
 already performed  in preparing star   
catalogues1 and in numerous accurate    
observations  of standard stars2 in the 
diligent and successful observation of  
the  meteoric showers2 in an extensive  
series of magnetic observations2 in  the

 discovery of an asteroid and ten or    
twelve telescopic comets2 in  the       
resolution of nebul which had defied    
every thing in ,europe but  ,lord       
,rosse's great reflector2 in the        
application of electricity to the       
measurement of differences in longitude2
 in the ascertainment of the  velocity  
of the electro-magnetic fluid1 and its  
truly wonderful uses  in recording      
astronomical observations4 ,these are   
but a portion of the  achievements of   
,american astronomical science within   
fifteen or twenty  years1 and fully     
justify the most sanguine anticipations 
of its further  progress4    ,how far   
our astronomers may be able to pursue   
their researches1 will  depend upon the 
resources of our public institutions1   
and the liberality  of wealthy          
individuals in furnishing the requisite 
means4 ,with the  exception of the      
observatories at ,washington and ,west  
,point1 little  can be done1 or be      
expected to be done1 by the government  

of the ,union  or the ,states2 but in   
this1 as in every other department of   
liberal  art and science1 the great     
dependence1--and may ,i not add1 the    
safe  dependence8--as it ever has been1 
must continue to be upon the bounty of  
enlightened1 liberal1 and               
public-spirited individuals4            
,,the ,,dudley ,,observatory4    ,it is 
by a signal exercise of this bounty1 my 
,friends1 that we are  called together  
to-day4 ,the munificence of several     
citizens of this  ancient city1 among   
whom the first place is due to the      
generous lady  whose name has with great
 propriety been given to the            
institution1 has  furnished the means   
for the foundation of the ,dudley       
,observatory at  ,albany4 ,on a         
commanding elevation on the northern    
edge of the city1  liberally given for  
that purpose by the head of a family in 
which the  patronage of science is      
hereditary1 a building of ample         
dimensions has  been erected1 upon a    

plan which combines all the requisites  
of solidity1  convenience1 and taste4 ,a
 large portion of the expense of the    
structure  has been defrayed by ,mrs4   
,blandina ,dudley2 to whose generosity1 
and that  of several other              
public-spirited individuals1 the        
institution is also  indebted for the   
provision which has been made for an    
adequate supply of  first-class         
instruments1 to be executed by the most 
eminent makers in  ,europe and ,america2
 and which1 it is confidently expected1 
will yield to  none of their class in   
any observatory in the world4,a         
,footnote ,a3 ,prof4 ,loomis1 in        
,harper's ,magazine for ,june1 p4 #di4  
,with a liberal supply of instrumental  
power2 established in a community  to   
whose intelligence and generosity its   
support may be safely confided1  and    
whose educational institutions are      
rapidly realizing the conception  of a  
university2 countenanced by the         
gentleman who conducts the ,united      

,states ,coast ,survey with such        
scientific skill and administrative     
energy2 committed to the immediate      
supervision of an astronomer to  whose  
distinguished talent had been added the 
advantage of a thorough  scientific     
education in the most renowned          
universities of ,europe1 and  who1 as   
the editor of the ,american             
,astronomical ,journal1 has shown       
himself to be fully qualified for the   
high trust2--under these favorable      
circumstances1 the ,dudley ,observatory 
at ,albany takes its place among  the   
scientific foundations of the country   
and the world4                          
,,wonders ,,of ,,astronomy4    ,it is no
 affected modesty which leads me to     
express the regret that this            
interesting occasion could not have     
taken place under somewhat different    
auspices4 ,i feel that the duty of      
addressing this great and enlightened   
assembly1 comprising so much of the     
intelligence of the community and of    

the science of the country1 ought to    
have been elsewhere assigned2 that  it  
should have devolved upon some one of   
the eminent persons1 many of  whom ,i   
see before me1 to whom you have been    
listening the past week1  who1 as       
observers and geometers1 could have     
treated the subject with a  master's    
power2 astronomers1 whose telescopes    
have penetrated the depths  of the      
heavens1 or mathematicians1 whose       
analysis unthreads the maze  of their   
wondrous mechanism4 ,if1 instead of     
commanding1 as you easily  could have   
done1 qualifications of this kind1 your 
choice has rather  fallen on one making 
no pretensions to the honorable name of 
a man of  science1--but whose delight it
 has always been to turn aside from the 
dusty paths of active life1 for an      
interval of recreation in the green     
fields of sacred nature in all her      
kingdoms1--it is1 ,i presume1 because   
you have desired on an occasion of this 
kind1 necessarily of a popular          

character1 that those views of the      
subject should be presented which       
address themselves to the general       
intelligence of the community1 and  not 
to its select scientific circles4 ,there
 is1 perhaps1 no branch of  science     
which to the same extent as astronomy   
exhibits phenomena which1  while they   
task the highest powers of philosophical
 research1 are also  well adapted to    
arrest the attention of minds barely    
tinctured with  scientific culture1 and 
even to teach the sensibilities of the  
wholly  uninstructed observer4 ,the     
profound investigations of the chemist  
into  the ultimate constitution of      
material nature1 the minute researches  
of  the physiologist into the secrets of
 animal life1 the transcendental  logic 
of the geometer1 clothed in a notation1 
the very sight of which  terrifies the  
uninitiated1--are lost on the common    
understanding4 ,but  the unspeakable    
glories of the rising and the setting   
sun2 the serene  majesty of the moon1 as

 she walks in full-orbed brightness     
through the  heavens2 the soft witchery 
of the morning and the evening star2 the
  imperial splendors of the firmament on
 a bright1 unclouded night2 the  comet1 
whose streaming banner floats over half 
the sky1--these are  objects which charm
 and astonish alike the philosopher and 
the peasant1  the mathematician who     
weighs the masses and defines the orbits
 of the  heavenly bodies1 and the       
untutored observer who sees nothing     
beyond the  images painted upon the eye4
                        ,,what ,,is ,,an
 ,,astronomical ,,observatory8    ,an   
astronomical observatory1 in the general
 acceptation of the word1 is  a building
 erected for the reception and          
appropriate use of astronomical         
instruments1 and the accommodation of   
the men of science employed  in making  
and reducing observations of the        
heavenly bodies4 ,these  instruments are
 mainly of three classes1 to which ,i   
believe all others  of a strictly       

astronomical character may be referred4 
#a4 ,the instruments by which the       
heavens are inspected1 with a view to   
discover the existence of those         
celestial bodies which are not visible  
to the naked eye 7beyond all comparison 
more numerous than those which  are71   
and the magnitude1 shapes1 and other    
sensible qualities1 both of  those which
 are and those which are not thus       
visible to the unaided  sight4 ,the     
instruments of this class are designated
 by the general name  of ,telescope1 and
 are of two kinds1--the refracting      
telescope1 which  derives its magnifying
 power from a system of convex lenses2  
and the  reflecting telescope1 which    
receives the image of the heavenly body 
upon  a concave mirror4    #b;d4 ,the   
second class of instruments consists of 
those which are designed  principally to
 measure the angular distances of the   
heavenly bodies  from each other1 and   
their time of passing the meridian4 ,the
 transit  instrument1 the meridian      

circle1 the mural circle1 the           
heliometer1  and the sextant1 belong to 
this class4 ,the brilliant discoveries  
of astronomy are1 for the most part1    
made with the first class of            
instruments2 its practical results      
wrought out by the second4    #c;d4 ,the
 third class contains the clock1 with   
its subsidiary apparatus1  for measuring
 the time and making its subdivisions   
with the greatest  possible accuracy2   
indispensable auxiliary of all the      
instruments1 by  which the positions and
 motions of the heavenly bodies are     
observed1 and  measured1 and recorded4  
,,the ,,telescope4    ,the telescope may
 be likened to a wondrous cyclopean eye1
 endued with  superhuman power1 by which
 the astronomer extends the reach of his
  vision to the further heavens1 and    
surveys galaxies and universes  compared
 with which the solar system is but an  
atom floating in the air4  ,the transit 
may be compared to the measuring rod    
which he lays from  planet to planet1   

and from star to star1 to ascertain and 
mark off the  heavenly spaces1 and      
transfer them to his note-book2 the     
clock is that  marvelous apparatus by   
which he equalizes and divides into     
nicely  measured parts a portion of that
 unconceived infinity of duration1      
without beginning and without end1 in   
which all existence floats as on a      
shoreless and bottomless sea4    ,in the
 contrivance and the execution of these 
instruments1 the utmost  stretch of     
inventive skill and mechanical ingenuity
 has been put forth4  ,to such          
perfection have they been carried1 that 
a single second of  magnitude or space  
is rendered a distinctly visible and    
appreciable  quantity4 ,the arc of a    
circle1 says ,sir ,j4 ,herschell1       
subtended by  one second1 is less than  
the #bjj1jjjth part of the radius1 so   
that on a  circle of six feet in        
diameter1 it would occupy no greater    
linear extent  than #a-egjj part of an  
inch1 a quantity requiring a powerful   

microscope  to be discerned at all4,a   
,the largest body in our system1 the    
sun1  whose real diameter is #hhb1jjj   
miles1 subtends1 at a distance of       
#ie1jjj1jjj miles1 but an angle of      
little more than #cb2 while so          
admirably are the best instruments      
constructed1 that both in ,europe  and  
,america a satellite of ,neptune1 an    
object of comparatively  inconsiderable 
diameter1 has been discovered at a      
distance of #b1hej  millions of miles4  
,footnote ,a3 ,outlines1  #aca4         
,,utility ,,of ,,astronomical           
,,observations4    ,the object of an    
observatory1 erected and supplied with  
instruments of  this admirable          
construction1 and at proportionate      
expense1 is1 as ,i have  already        
intimated1 to provide for an accurate   
and systematic survey  of the heavenly  
bodies1 with a view to a more correct   
and extensive  acquaintance with those  
already known1 and as instrumental power
  and skill in using it increase1 to the

 discovery of bodies hitherto           
invisible1 and in both classes to the   
determination of their distances1  their
 relations to each other1 and the laws  
which govern their  movements4    ,why  
should we wish to obtain this knowledge8
 ,what inducement is there  to expend   
large sums of money in the erection of  
observatories1 and in  furnishing them  
with costly instruments1 and in the     
support of the men  of science employed 
in making1 discussing1 and recording1   
for successive  generations1 those      
minute observations of the heavenly     
bodies8    ,in an exclusively scientific
 treatment of this subject1 an inquiry  
into its utilitarian relations would be 
superfluous--even wearisome4  ,but on an
 occasion like the present1 you will    
not1 perhaps1 think it  out of place if 
,i briefly answer the question1 ,what is
 the use of an  observatory1 and what   
benefit may be expected from the        
operations of  such an establishment in 
a community like ours8    #a4 ,in the   

first place1 then1 we derive from the   
observations of the  heavenly bodies    
which are made at an observatory1 our   
only adequate  measures of time1 and our
 only means of comparing the time of one
  place with the time of another4 ,our  
artificial time-keepers--clocks1        
watches1 and chronometers--however      
ingeniously contrived and admirably     
fabricated1 are but a transcript1 so to 
say1 of the celestial motions1  and     
would be of no value without the means  
of regulating them by  observation4 ,it 
is impossible for them1 under any       
circumstances1 to  escape the           
imperfection of all machinery the work  
of human hands2 and  the moment we      
remove with our time-keeper east or     
west1 it fails us4 ,it  will keep home  
time alone1 like the fond traveler who  
leaves his heart  behind him4 ,the      
artificial instrument is of incalculable
 utility1 but  must itself be regulated 
by the eternal clock-work of the skies4 
,,relations ,,between ,,natural         

,,phenomena ,,and ,,daily ,,life4       
,this single consideration is sufficient
 to show how completely the daily       
business of life is affected and        
controlled by the heavenly bodies4  ,it 
is they--and not our main-springs1 our  
expansion balances1 and our             
compensation pendulums--which give us   
our time4 ,to reverse the line of       
,pope3                ',tis with our    
watches as our judgments2--none         
,go just alike1 but each believes his   
own4    ,but for all the kindreds and   
tribes and tongues of men--each upon    
their  own meridian--from the ,arctic   
pole to the equator1 from the equator to
  the ,antarctic pole1 the eternal sun  
strikes twelve at noon1 and the         
glorious constellations1 far up in the  
everlasting belfries of the  skies1     
chime twelve at midnight2--twelve for   
the pale student over his  flickering   
lamp2 twelve amid the flaming glories of
 ,orion's belt1 if he  crosses the      
meridian at that fated hour2 twelve by  

the weary couch of  languishing         
humanity2 twelve in the star-paved      
courts of the ,empyrean2  twelve for the
 heaving tides of the ocean2 twelve for 
the weary arm of  labor2 twelve for the 
toiling brain2 twelve for the watching1 
waking1  broken heart2 twelve for the   
meteor which blazes for a moment and    
expires2 twelve for the comet whose     
period is measured by centuries2  twelve
 for every substantial1 for every       
imaginary thing1 which exists in  the   
sense1 the intellect1 or the fancy1 and 
which the speech or thought  of man1 at 
the given meridian1 refers to the lapse 
of time4    ,not only do we resort to   
the observation of the heavenly bodies  
for the  means of regulating and        
rectifying our clocks1 but the great    
divisions  of day and month and year are
 derived from the same source4 ,by the  
constitution of our nature1 the elements
 of our existence are closely  connected
 with celestial times4 ,partly by his   
physical organization1  partly by the   

experience of the race from the dawn of 
creation1 man as  he is1 and the times  
and seasons of the heavenly bodies1 are 
part and  parcel of one system4 ,the    
first great division of time1 the       
day-night  7nychthemerum71 for which we 
have no precise synonym in our language1
  with its primal alternation of waking 
and sleeping1 of labor and rest1  is a  
vital condition of the existence of such
 a creature as man4 ,the  revolution of 
the year1 with its various incidents of 
summer and winter1  and seed-time and   
harvest1 is not less involved in our    
social1 material1  and moral progress4  
,it is true that at the poles1 and on   
the equator1  the effects of these      
revolutions are variously modified or   
wholly  disappear2 but as the necessary 
consequence1 human life is extinguished 
at the poles1 and on the equator attains
 only a languid or feverish             
development4 ,those latitudes only in   
which the great motions and  cardinal   
positions of the earth exert a mean     

influence1 exhibit man in  the          
harmonious expansion of his powers4 ,the
 lunar period1 which lies  at the       
foundation of the month1 is less vitally
 connected with human  existence and    
development2 but is proved by the       
experience of every age  and race to be 
eminently conducive to the progress of  
civilization and  culture4    ,but      
indispensable as are these heavenly     
measures of time to our life and        
progress1 and obvious as are the        
phenomena on which they rest1 yet owing 
to the circumstance that1 in the economy
 of nature1 the day1 the month1  and the
 year are not exactly commensurable1    
some of the most difficult  questions in
 practical astronomy are those by which 
an accurate division  of time1          
applicable to the various uses of life1 
is derived from the  observation of the 
heavenly bodies4 ,i have no doubt that1 
to the ,supreme  ,intelligence which    
created and rules the universe1 there is
 a harmony  hidden to us in the         

numerical relation to each other of     
days1 months1  and years2 but in our    
ignorance of that harmony1 their        
practical  adjustment to each other is a
 work of difficulty4 ,the great         
embarrassment which attended the        
reformation of the calendar1 after the  
error of the ,julian period had1 in the 
lapse of centuries1 reached ten  7or    
rather twelve7 days1 sufficiently       
illustrates this remark4 ,it is  most   
true that scientific difficulties did   
not form the chief obstacle4  ,having   
been proposed under the auspices of the 
,roman pontiff1 the  ,protestant world1 
for a century and more1 rejected the new
 style4  ,it was in various places the  
subject of controversy1 collision1 and  
bloodshed4,a ,it was not adopted in     
,england till nearly two centuries      
after its introduction at ,rome2 and in 
the country of ,struve and the  ,pulkova
 equatorial1 they persist at the present
 day in adding eleven  minutes and      
twelve seconds to the length of the     

tropical year4    ,footnote ,a3 ,stern's
 ,himmelskunde1 p4 #gb4                 
,,geographical ,,science4    #b4 ,the   
second great practical use of an        
,astronomical ,observatory is  connected
 with the science of geography4 ,the    
first page of the history  of our       
,continent declares this truth4         
,profound meditation on the  sphericity 
of the earth was one of the main reasons
 which led ,columbus  to undertake his  
momentous voyage2 and his thorough      
acquaintance with  the astronomical     
science of that day was1 in his own     
judgment1 what  enabled him to overcome 
the almost innumerable obstacles which  
attended  its prosecution4,a ,in return1
 ,i find that ,copernicus in the very   
commencement of his immortal work ,de   
,revolutionibus ,orbium ,coelestium1    
fol4 #b1 appeals to the discovery of    
,america as completing the              
demonstration of the sphericity of the  
earth4 ,much of our knowledge of  the   
figure1 size1 density1 and position of  

the earth1 as a member of  the solar    
system1 is derived from this science2   
and it furnishes us  the means of       
performing the most important operations
 of practical  geography4 ,latitude and 
longitude1 which lie at the basis of all
  descriptive geography1 are determined 
by observation4 ,no map deserves  the   
name1 on which the position of important
 points has not been  astronomically    
determined4 ,some even of our most      
important political and  administrative 
arrangements depend upon the coperation 
of this science4  ,among these ,i may   
mention the land system of the ,united  
,states1 and the  determination of the  
boundaries of the country4 ,i believe   
that till it  was done by the ,federal  
,government1 a uniform system of        
mathematical  survey had never in any   
country been applied to an extensive    
territory4  ,large grants and sales of  
public land took place before the       
,revolution1  and in the interval       
between the peace and the adoption of   

the  ,constitution2 but the limits of   
these grants and sales were ascertained 
by sensible objects1 by trees1 streams1 
rocks1 hills1 and by reference  to      
adjacent portions of territory1         
previously surveyed4 ,the uncertainty   
of boundaries thus defined1 was a       
never-failing source of litigation4     
,large tracts of land in the ,western   
country1 granted by ,virginia  under    
this old system of special and local    
survey1 were covered with  conflicting  
claims2 and the controversies to which  
they gave rise  formed no small part of 
the business of the ,federal ,court     
after its  organization4 ,but the       
adoption of the present land-system     
brought order  out of chaos4 ,the entire
 public domain is now scientifically    
surveyed  before it is offered for sale2
 it is laid off into ranges1 townships1 
sections1 and smaller divisions1 with   
unerring accuracy1 resting on the       
foundation of base and meridian lines2  
and ,i have been informed that  under   

this system1 scarce a case of contested 
location and boundary has  ever         
presented itself in court4 ,the ,general
 ,land ,office contains maps  and plans1
 in which every quarter-section of the  
public land is laid  down with          
mathematical precision4 ,the superficies
 of half a continent is  thus           
transferred in miniature to the bureaus 
of ,washington2 while the  local ,land  
,offices contain transcripts of these   
plans1 copies of which  are furnished to
 the individual purchaser4 ,when we     
consider the tide of  population        
annually flowing into the public domain1
 and the immense  importance of its     
efficient and economical administration1
 the utility  of this application of    
,astronomy will be duly estimated4      
,footnote ,a3 ,humboldt1 ,histotre de la
 ,geographie1 c41 ,tom4 #a1  page #ga4  
,i will here venture to repeat an       
anecdote1 which ,i heard lately from  a 
son of the late ,hon4 ,timothy          
,pickering4 ,mr4 ,octavius ,pickering1  

on  behalf of his father1 had applied to
 ,mr4 ,david ,putnam of ,marietta1 to   
act as his legal adviser1 with respect  
to certain land claims in the  ,virginia
 ,military district1 in the ,state of   
,ohio4 ,mr4 ,putnam declined  the       
agency4 ,he had had much to do with     
business of that kind1 and found  it    
beset with endless litigation4 ,i have  
never1 he added1 succeeded  but in a    
single case1 and that was a location and
 survey made by ,general  ,washington   
before the ,revolution2 and ,i am not   
acquainted with any  surveys1 except    
those made by him1 but what have been   
litigated4    ,at this moment1 a most   
important survey of the coast of the    
,united  ,states is in progress1 an     
operation of the utmost consequence1 in 
reference to the commerce1 navigation1  
and hydrography of the country4  ,the   
entire work1 ,i need scarce say1 is one 
of practical astronomy4 ,the  scientific
 establishment which we this day        
inaugurate is looked to for  important  

coperation in this great undertaking1   
and will no doubt  contribute           
efficiently to its prosecution4         
,astronomical observation furnishes by  
far the best means of defining the      
boundaries of ,states1 especially when  
the lines are of great length and  run  
through unsettled countries4 ,natural   
indications1 like rivers and  mountains1
 however indistinct in appearance1 are  
in practice subject to  unavoidable     
error4 ,by the treaty of #aghc1 a       
boundary was established  between the   
,united ,states and ,great ,britain1    
depending chiefly on the  course of     
rivers and highlands dividing the waters
 which flow into the  ,atlantic ,ocean  
from those which flow into the ,st4     
,lawrence4 ,it took  twenty years to    
find out which river was the true ,st4  
,croix1 that being  the starting point4 
,england then having made the           
extraordinary discovery  that the ,bay  
of ,fundy is not a part of the ,atlantic
 ,ocean1 forty years  more were passed  

in the unsuccessful attempt to re-create
 the highlands  which this strange      
theory had annihilated2 and just as the 
two countries  were on the verge of a   
war1 the controversy was settled by     
compromise4  ,had the boundary been     
accurately described by lines of        
latitude and  longitude1 no dispute     
could have arisen4 ,no dispute arose as 
to the  boundary between the ,united    
,states and ,spain1 and her successor1  
,mexico1  where it runs through         
untrodden deserts and over pathless     
mountains  along the #db;d degree of    
latitude4 ,the identity of rivers may be
  disputed1 as in the case of the ,st4  
,croix2 the course of mountain chains   
is too broad for a dividing line2 the   
division of streams1 as experience  has 
shown1 is uncertain2 but a degree of    
latitude is written on the  heavenly    
sphere1 and nothing but an observation  
is required to read the  record4        
,,questions ,,of ,,boundary4    ,but    
scientific elements1 like sharp         

instruments1 must be handled with       
scientific accuracy4 ,a part of our     
boundary between the ,british           
,provinces ran upon the forty-fifth     
degree of latitude2 and about forty     
years ago1 an expensive fortress was    
commenced by the government of the      
,united ,states1 at ,rouse's ,point1 on 
,lake ,champlain1 on a spot intended  to
 be just within our limits4 ,when a line
 came to be more carefully  surveyed1   
the fortress turned out to be on the    
wrong side of the line2  we had been    
building an expensive fortification for 
our neighbor4 ,but in  the general      
compromises of the ,treaty of           
,washington by the ,webster and         
,ashburton ,treaty in #ahdb1 the        
fortification was left within our       
limits4,a    ,footnote ,a3 ,webster's   
,works4 ,vol4 ,v41 #aaj1 #aae4          
,errors still more serious had nearly   
resulted1 a few years since1 in  a war  
with ,mexico4 ,by the treaty of         
,guadalupe ,hidalgo1 in #ahdh1 the      

boundary line between the ,united       
,states and that country was in part    
described by reference to the town of   
,el ,paso1 as laid down on a  specified 
map of the ,united ,states1 of which a  
copy was appended to the  treaty4 ,this 
boundary was to be surveyed and run by a
 joint commission  of men of science4   
,it soon appeared that errors of two or 
three degrees  existed in the projection
 of the map4 ,its lines of latitude and 
longitude did not conform to the        
topography of the region2 so that it    
became impossible to execute the text of
 the treaty4 ,the famous ,mesilla       
,valley was a part of the debatable     
ground2 and the sum of #aj1jjj1jjj1     
paid to the ,mexican ,government for    
that and for an additional strip of     
territory on the southwest1 was the     
smart-money which expiated the          
inaccuracy of the map--the necessary    
result1 perhaps1 of the want of  good   
materials for its construction4    ,it  
became my official duty in ,london1 a   

few years ago1 to apply to  the ,british
 ,government for an authentic statement 
of their claim to  jurisdiction over    
,new ,zealand4 ,the official ,gazette   
for the #b;d of  ,october1 #ahdj1 was   
sent me from the ,foreign ,office1 as   
affording the  desired information4     
,this number of the ,gazette contained  
the  proclamations issued by the        
,lieutenant ,governor of ,new ,zealand1 
in  pursuance of the instructions he    
received from the ,marquis of ,normanby1
  one of ,her ,majesty's principal      
,secretaries of ,state1 asserting the   
jurisdiction of his government over the 
islands of ,new ,zealand1 and  declaring
 them to extend from #cd #cj' ,north to 
#dg #aj' ,south latitude4  ,it is       
scarcely necessary to say that south    
latitude was intended in both           
instances4 ,this error of #fi of        
latitude1 which would have extended the 
claim of ,british jurisdiction over the 
whole breadth of the ,pacific1  had1    
apparently1 escaped the notice of that  

government4                             
,,commerce ,,and ,,navigation4    ,it   
would be easy to multiply illustrations 
in proof of the great  practical        
importance of accurate scientific       
designations1 drawn from  astronomical  
observations1 in various relations      
connected with  boundaries1 surveys1 and
 other geographical purposes2 but ,i    
must hasten  to    #c4 ,a third         
important department1 in which the      
services rendered by  astronomy are     
equally conspicuous4 ,i refer to        
commerce and navigation4  ,it is mainly 
owing to the results of astronomical    
observation1 that  modern commerce has  
attained such a vast expansion1 compared
 with that  of the ancient world4 ,i    
have already reminded you that accurate 
ideas  in this respect contributed      
materially to the conception in the mind
  of ,columbus of his immortal          
enterprise1 and to the practical success
  with which it was conducted4 ,it was  
mainly his skill in the use of          

astronomical instruments--imperfect as  
they were--which enabled him1 in  spite 
of the bewildering variation of the     
compass1 to find his way  across the    
ocean4    ,with the progress of the true
 system of the universe toward general  
adoption1 the problem of finding the    
longitude at sea presented itself4      
,this was the avowed object of the      
foundation of the observatory at        
,greenwich2,a and no one subject has    
received more of the attention of       
astronomers1 than those investigations  
of the lunar theory on which  the       
requisite tables of the navigator are   
founded4 ,the pathways of the  ocean are
 marked out in the sky above4 ,the      
eternal lights of the heavens  are the  
only ,pharos whose beams never fail1    
which no tempest can shake  from its    
foundation4 ,within my recollection1 it 
was deemed a necessary  qualification   
for the master and the mate of a        
merchant-ship1 and even  for a prime    
hand1 to be able to work a lunar1 as it 

was called4 ,the  improvements in the   
chronometer have in practice1 to a great
 extent1  superseded this laborious     
operation2 but observation remains1  and
 unquestionably will for ever remain1   
the only dependence for  ascertaining   
the ship's time and deducting the       
longitude from the  comparison of that  
time with the chronometer4    ,footnote 
,a3 ,grant's ,physical ,astronomy1 p4   
#dfj4    ,it may1 perhaps1 be thought   
that astronomical science is brought    
already  to such a state of perfection  
that nothing more is to be desired1 or  
at  least that nothing more is          
attainable1 in reference to such        
practicable  applications as ,i have    
described4 ,this1 however1 is an idea   
which  generous minds will reject1 in   
this1 as in every other department of   
human knowledge4 ,in astronomy1 as in   
every thing else1 the discoveries       
already made1 theoretical or practical1 
instead of exhausting the  science1 or  
putting a limit to its advancement1 do  

but furnish the means  and instruments  
of further progress4 ,i have no doubt we
 live on the  verge of discoveries and  
inventions1 in every department1 as     
brilliant  as any that have ever been   
made2 that there are new truths1 new    
facts1  ready to start into recognition 
on every side2 and it seems to me there 
never was an age1 since the dawn of     
time1 when men ought to be less         
disposed to rest satisfied with the     
progress already made1 than the age  in 
which we live2 for there never was an   
age more distinguished for  ingenious   
research1 for novel result1 and bold    
generalization4    ,that no further     
improvement is desirable in the means   
and methods of  ascertaining the ship's 
place at sea1 no one ,i think will from 
experience be disposed to assert4 ,the  
last time ,i crossed the ,atlantic1  ,i 
walked the quarter-deck with the officer
 in charge of the noble  vessel1 on one 
occasion1 when we were driving along    
before a leading  breeze and under a    

head of steam1 beneath a starless sky at
 midnight1 at  the rate certainly of ten
 or eleven miles an hour4 ,there is     
something  sublime1 but approaching the 
terrible1 in such a scene2--the rayless 
gloom1 the midnight chill1--the awful   
swell of the deep1--the dismal  moan of 
the wind through the rigging1 the all   
but volcanic fires within  the hold of  
the ship4 ,i scarce know an occasion in 
ordinary life in  which a reflecting    
mind feels more keenly its hopeless     
dependence on  irrational forces beyond 
its own control4 ,i asked my companion  
how  nearly he could determine his      
ship's place at sea under favorable     
circumstances4 ,theoretically1 he       
answered1 ,i think1 within a            
mile2--practically and usually within   
three or four4 ,my next question  was1  
how near do you think we may be to ,cape
 ,race2--that dangerous  headland which 
pushes its iron-bound unlighted bastions
 from the  shore of ,newfoundland far   
into the ,atlantic1--first landfall to  

the homeward-bound ,american vessel4 ,we
 must1 said he1 by our last             
observations and reckoning1 be within   
three or four miles of ,cape ,race4  ,a 
comparison of these two remarks1 under  
the circumstances in which we  were     
placed at the moment1 brought my mind to
 the conclusion1 that it is  greatly to 
be wished that the means should be      
discovered of finding the  ship's place 
more accurately1 or that navigators     
would give ,cape ,race a  little wider  
berth4 ,but ,i do not remember that one 
of the steam packets  between ,england  
and ,america was ever lost on that      
formidable point4    ,it appears to me  
by no means unlikely that1 with the     
improvement of  instrumental power1 and 
of the means of ascertaining the ship's 
time  with exactness1 as great an       
advance beyond the present state of art 
and  science in finding a ship's place  
at sea may take place1 as was effected  
by the invention of the reflecting      
quadrant1 the calculation of lunar      

tables1 and the improved construction of
 chronometers4                          
,,babbage',s ,,difference ,,machine4    
,in the wonderful versatility of the    
human mind1 the improvement1 when  made1
 will very probably be made by paths    
where it is least expected4  ,the great 
inducement to ,mr4 ,babbage to attempt  
the construction of an  engine by which 
astronomical tables could be calculated1
 and even  printed1 by mechanical means 
and with entire accuracy1 was the errors
  in the requisite tables4 ,nineteen    
such errors1 in point of fact1 were     
discovered in an edition of ,taylor's   
,logarithms printed in #agif2 some  of  
which might have led to the most        
dangerous results in calculating a      
ship's place4 ,these nineteen errors1   
7of which one only was an error of  the 
press71 were pointed out in the         
,nautical ,almanac for #ahcb4 ,in one   
of these errata the seat of the error   
was stated to be in cosine of  #ad #ah' 
#c4 ,subsequent examination showed that 

there was an error of one  second in    
this correction2 and1 accordingly1 in   
the ,nautical ,almanac  of the next year
 a new correction was necessary4 ,but in
 making the new  correction of one      
second1 a new error was committed of ten
 degrees4  ,instead of cosine #ad #ah'  
#b the correction was printed cosine #d 
#ah' #b  making it still necessary1 in  
some future edition of the ,nautical    
,almanac1 to insert an erratum in an    
erratum of the errata in  ,taylor's     
logarithms4,a    ,footnote ,a3          
,edinburgh ,review1 ,vol4 ,,lix41 #bhb4 
,in the hope of obviating the           
possibility of such errors1 ,mr4        
,babbage  projected his calculating1 or1
 as he prefers to call it1 his          
difference  machine4 ,although this     
extraordinary undertaking has been      
arrested1 in  consequence of the        
enormous expense attending its          
execution1 enough has  been achieved to 
show the mechanical possibility of      
constructing an  engine of this kind1   

and even one of far higher powers1 of   
which ,mr4  ,babbage has matured the    
conception1 devised the notation1 and   
executed  the drawings--themselves an   
imperishable monument of the genius of  
the  author4    ,i happened on one      
occasion to be in company with this     
highly  distinguished man of science1   
whose social qualities are as pleasing  
as  his constructive talent is          
marvelous1 when another eminent savant1 
,count ,strzelecki1 just returned from  
his ,oriental and ,australian tour1     
observed that he found among the        
,chinese1 a great desire to know        
something more of ,mr4 ,babbage's       
calculating machine1 and especially     
whether1 like their own swampan1 it     
could be made to go into the  pocket4   
,mr4 ,babbage good-humouredly observed  
that1 thus far1 he had been  very much  
out of pocket with it4                  
,,increased ,,command ,,of              
,,instrumental ,,power4    ,whatever    
advances may be made in astronomical    

science1 theoretical  or applied1 ,i am 
strongly inclined to think that they    
will be made  in connection with an     
increased command of instrumental power4
 ,the  natural order in which the human 
mind proceeds in the acquisition  of    
astronomical knowledge is minute and    
accurate observation of the  phenomena  
of the heavens1 the skillful discussion 
and analysis of these  observations1 and
 sound philosophy in generalizing the   
results4    ,in pursuing this course1   
however1 a difficulty presented itself1 
which  for ages proved insuperable--and 
which to the same extent has existed  in
 no other science1 viz43 that all the   
leading phenomena are in their          
appearance delusive4 ,it is indeed true 
that in all sciences superficial        
observation can only lead1 except by    
chance1 to superficial knowledge2  but  
,i know of no branch in which1 to the   
same degree as in astronomy1  the great 
leading phenomena are the reverse of    
true2 while they yet  appeal so strongly

 to the senses1 that men who could      
foretell eclipses1  and who discovered  
the precession of the equinoxes1 still  
believed that  the earth was at rest in 
the center of the universe1 and that all
 the  host of heaven performed a daily  
revolution about it as a center4    ,it 
usually happens in scientific progress1 
that when a great fact is at  length    
discovered1 it approves itself at once  
to all competent judges4  ,it furnishes 
a solution to so many problems1 and     
harmonizes with so many  other          
facts1--that all the other data as it   
were crystallize at once  about it4 ,in 
modern times1 we have often witnessed   
such an impatience1  so to say1 of great
 truths1 to be discovered1 that it has  
frequently  happened that they have been
 found out simultaneously by more than  
one  individual2 and a disputed question
 of priority is an event of very  common
 occurrence4 ,not so with the true      
theory of the heavens4 ,so  complete is 
the deception practiced on the senses1  

that it failed more  than once to yield 
to the suggestion of the truth2 and it  
was only when  the visual organs were   
armed with an almost preternatural      
instrumental  power1 that the great fact
 found admission to the human mind4     
,,the ,,copernican ,,system4    ,it is  
supposed that in the very dawn of       
science1 ,pythagoras or his  disciples  
explained the apparent motion of the    
heavenly bodies about  the earth by the 
diurnal revolution of the earth on its  
axis4 ,but this  theory1 though bearing 
so deeply impressed upon it the great   
seal of  truth1 simplicity1 was in such 
glaring contrast with the evidence of   
the senses1 that it failed of acceptance
 in antiquity or the middle  ages4 ,it  
found no favor with minds like those of 
,aristotle1 ,archimedes1  ,hipparchus1  
,ptolemy1 or any of the acute and       
learned ,arabian or medival             
astronomers4 ,all their ingenuity and   
all their mathematical skill were       
exhausted in the development of a       

wonderfully complicated and ingenious1  
but erroneous history4 ,the great master
 truth1 rejected for its  simplicity1   
lay disregarded at their feet4    ,at   
the second dawn of science1 the great   
fact again beamed into the mind  of     
,copernicus4 ,now1 at least1 in that    
glorious age which witnessed the        
invention of printing1 the great        
mechanical engine of intellectual       
progress1 and the discovery of ,america1
 we may expect that this  long-hidden   
revelation1 a second time proclaimed1   
will command the  assent of mankind4    
,but the sensible phenomena were still  
too strong  for the theory2 the glorious
 delusion of the rising and the setting 
sun could not be overcome4 ,tycho de    
,brahe furnished his ,observatory  with 
instruments superior in number and      
quality to all that had been  collected 
before2 but the great instrument of     
discovery1 which1 by  augmenting the    
optic power of the eye1 enables it to   
penetrate beyond  the apparent          

phenomena1 and to discern the true      
constitution of the  heavenly bodies1   
was wanting at ,uranienburg4 ,the       
observations of ,tycho  as discussed by 
,kepler1 conducted that most fervid1    
powerful1 and  sagacious mind to the    
discovery of some of the most important 
laws of  the celestial motions2 but it  
was not till ,galileo1 at ,florence1 had
  pointed his telescope to the sky1 that
 the ,copernican system could be  said  
to be firmly established in the         
scientific world4                       
,,the ,,home ,,of ,,galileo4    ,on this
 great name1 my ,friends1 assembled as  
we are to dedicate a temple  to         
instrumental ,astronomy1 we may well    
pause for a moment4    ,there is much1  
in every way1 in the city of ,florence  
to excite the  curiosity1 to kindle the 
imagination1 and to gratify the taste4  
,sheltered on the north by the vine-clad
 hills of ,fiesoli1 whose  cyclopean    
walls carry back the antiquary to ages  
before the ,roman1  before the ,etruscan

 power1 the flowery city 7,fiorenza7    
covers the sunny  banks of the ,arno    
with its stately palaces4 ,dark and     
frowning piles  of medival structure2 a 
majestic dome1 the prototype of ,st4    
,peter's2  basilicas which enshrine the 
ashes of some of the mightiest of the   
dead2  the stone where ,dante stood to  
gaze on the ,campanile2 the house of    
,michael ,angelo1 still occupied by a   
descendant of his lineage and name1  his
 hammer1 his chisel1 his dividers1 his  
manuscript poems1 all as if  he had left
 them but yesterday2 airy bridges1 which
 seem not so much to  rest on the earth 
as to hover over the waters they span2  
the loveliest  creations of ancient art1
 rescued from the grave of ages again to
  enchant the world2 the breathing      
marbles of ,michael ,angelo1 the glowing
  canvas of ,raphael and ,titian1       
museums filled with medals and coins of 
every age from ,cyrus the younger1 and  
gems and amulets and vases from  the    
sepulchers of ,egyptian ,pharaohs coval 

with ,joseph1 and ,etruscan  ,lucumons  
that swayed ,italy before the           
,romans1--libraries stored with the     
choicest texts of ancient               
literature1--gardens of rose and orange1
  and pomegranate1 and myrtle1--the very
 air you breathe languid with  music and
 perfume2--such is ,florence4 ,but among
 all its fascinations1  addressed to the
 sense1 the memory1 and the heart1 there
 was none  to which ,i more frequently  
gave a meditative hour during a year's  
residence1 than to the spot where       
,galileo ,galilei sleeps beneath the    
marble door of ,santa ,croce2 no        
building on which ,i gazed with greater 
reverence1 than ,i did upon the modest  
mansion at ,arcetri1 villa at once  and 
prison1 in which that venerable sage1 by
 command of the ,inquisition1  passed   
the sad closing years of his life4 ,the 
beloved daughter on whom  he had        
depended to smooth his passage to the   
grave1 laid there before  him2 the eyes 
with which he had discovered worlds     

before unknown1  quenched in blindness3 
,ahime6 quegli occhi si son fatti       
oscuri1                 ,che vider pi di
 tutti i tempi antichi1                 
,e luce fur dei secoli futuri4    ,that 
was the house1 where1 says ,milton      
7another of those of whom the  world was
 not worthy71 ,i found and visited the  
famous ,galileo1 grown  old--a prisoner 
to the ,inquisition1 for thinking on    
astronomy otherwise  than as the        
,dominican and ,franciscan licensers    
thought4,a ,great  ,heavens6 what a     
tribunal1 what a culprit1 what a crime6 
,let us thank  ,god1 my ,friends1 that  
we live in the nineteenth century4 ,of  
all the  wonders of ancient and modern  
art1 statues and paintings1 and jewels  
and  manuscripts1--the admiration and   
the delight of ages1--there was nothing 
which ,i beheld with more affectionate  
awe than that poor1 rough tube1  a few  
feet in length1--the work of his own    
hands1--that very optic  glass1 through 
which the ,tuscan ,artist viewed the    

moon1                  ,at evening1 from
 the top of ,fesol1                 ,or 
in ,valdarno1 to descry new lands1      
,rivers1 or mountains1 in her spotty    
globe4    that poor little spy-glass    
7for it is scarcely more7 through which 
the human eye first distinctly beheld   
the surface of the moon--first          
discovered the phases of ,venus1 the    
satellites of ,jupiter1 and the  seeming
 handles of ,saturn--first penetrated   
the dusky depths of the  heavens--first 
pierced the clouds of visual error1     
which1 from the  creation of the world1 
involved the system of the ,universe4   
,footnote ,a3 ,prose ,works1 vol4 #a1 p4
 #bac4    ,there are occasions in life  
in which a great mind lives years of    
rapt  enjoyment in a moment4 ,i can     
fancy the emotions of ,galileo1 when1   
first  raising the newly-constructed    
telescope to the heavens1 he saw        
fulfilled  the grand prophecy of        
,copernicus1 and beheld the planet      
,venus crescent  like the moon4 ,it was 

such another moment as that when the    
immortal  printers of ,mentz and        
,strasburg received the first copy of   
the ,bible  into their hands1 the work  
of their divine art2 like that when     
,columbus1  through the gray dawn of the
 #abth of ,october1 #adib 7,copernicus1 
at the  age of eighteen1 was then a     
student at ,cracow71 beheld the shores  
of ,san  ,salvador2 like that when the  
law of gravitation first revealed itself
 to  the intellect of ,newton2 like that
 when ,franklin saw by the stiffening   
fibers of the hempen cord of his kite1  
that he held the lightning in his       
grasp2 like that when ,leverrier        
received back from ,berlin the tidings  
that the predicted planet was found4    
,yes1 noble ,galileo1 thou art right1 ,e
 pur si muove4 ,it does move4  ,bigots  
may make thee recant it2 but it moves1  
nevertheless4 ,yes1 the  earth moves1   
and the planets move1 and the mighty    
waters move1 and the  great sweeping    
tides of air move1 and the empires of   

men move1 and the  world of thought     
moves1 ever onward and upward to higher 
facts and  bolder theories4 ,the        
,inquisition may seal thy lips1 but they
 can no more  stop the progress of the  
great truth propounded by ,copernicus1  
and  demonstrated by thee1 than they can
 stop the revolving earth4    ,close    
now1 venerable sage1 that sightless1    
tearful eye2 it has seen  what man never
 before saw--it has seen enough4 ,hang  
up that poor  little spy-glass--it has  
done its work4 ,not ,herschell nor      
,rosse have1  comparatively1 done more4 
,franciscans and ,dominicans deride thy 
discoveries now2 but the time will come 
when1 from two hundred  observatories in
 ,europe and ,america1 the glorious     
artillery of science  shall nightly     
assault the skies1 but they shall gain  
no conquests in  those glittering fields
 before which thine shall be forgotten4 
,rest in  peace1 great ,columbus of the 
heavens--like him scorned1 persecuted1  
broken-hearted6--in other ages1 in      

distant hemispheres1 when the  votaries 
of science1 with solemn acts of         
consecration1 shall dedicate  their     
stately edifices to the cause of        
knowledge and truth1 thy name  shall be 
mentioned with honor4                   
,,new ,,periods ,,in ,,astronomical     
,,science4    ,it is not my intention1  
in dwelling with such emphasis upon the 
invention of the telescope1 to ascribe  
undue importance1 in promoting  the     
advancement of science1 to the increase 
of instrumental power4  ,too much1      
indeed1 cannot be said of the service   
rendered by its  first application in   
confirming and bringing into general    
repute the  ,copernican system2 but for 
a considerable time1 little more was    
effected  by the wondrous instrument    
than the gratification of curiosity and 
taste1 by the inspection of the         
planetary phases1 and the addition  of  
the rings and satellites of ,saturn to  
the solar family4 ,newton1  prematurely 
despairing of any further improvement in

 the refracting  telescope1 applied the 
principle of reflection2 and the nicer  
observations now made1 no doubt1        
hastened the maturity of his great      
discovery of the law of gravitation2 but
 that discovery was the work of  his    
transcendent genius and consummate      
skill4    ,with ,bradley1 in #agda1 a   
new period commenced in instrumental    
astronomy1  not so much of discovery as 
of measurement4 ,the superior accuracy  
and  minuteness with which the motions  
and distances of the heavenly bodies    
were now observed1 resulted in the      
accumulation of a mass of new           
materials1 both for tabular comparison  
and theoretical speculation4  ,these    
materials formed the enlarged basis of  
astronomical science  between ,newton   
and ,sir ,william ,herschell4 ,his      
gigantic reflectors  introduced the     
astronomer to regions of space before   
unvisited--extended  beyond all previous
 conception the range of the observed   
phenomena1 and  with it proportionably  

enlarged the range of constructive      
theory4 ,the  discovery of a new primary
 planet and its attendant satellites was
  but the first step of his progress    
into the labyrinth of the heavens4      
,cotemporaneously with his observations1
 the ,french astronomers1 and           
especially ,la ,place1 with a           
geometrical skill scarcely1 if at all1  
inferior to that of its great author1   
resumed the whole system of  ,newton1   
and brought every phenomenon observed   
since his time within his  laws4        
,difficulties of fact1 with which he    
struggled in vain1 gave way to  more    
accurate observations2 and problems that
 defied the power of his  analysis1     
yielded to the modern improvements of   
the calculus4                           
,,herschell',s ,,nebular ,,theory4      
,but there is no ,ultima ,thule in the  
progress of science4 ,with the  recent  
augmentations of telescopic power1 the  
details of the nebular  theory1 proposed
 by ,sir ,w4 ,herschell with such       

courage and ingenuity1  have been drawn 
in question4 ,many--most--of those milky
 patches in which  he beheld what he    
regarded as cosmical matter1 as yet in  
an unformed  state1--the rudimental     
material of worlds not yet              
condensed1--have been  resolved into    
stars1 as bright and distinct as any in 
the firmament4  ,i well recall the glow 
of satisfaction with which1 on the #bb;d
 of  ,september1 #ahdg1 being then      
connected with the ,university at       
,cambridge1  ,i received a letter from  
the venerable director of the           
,observatory  there1 beginning with     
these memorable words3--,you will       
rejoice with  me that the great nebula  
in ,orion has yielded to the powers of  
our  incomparable telescope6 99 99 99   
,it should be borne in mind that this   
nebula1 and that of ,andromeda which has
 been also resolved at  ,cambridge1 are 
the last strongholds of the nebular     
theory4,a    ,footnote ,a3 ,annals of   
the ,observatory of ,harvard ,college1  

p4 #aba4    ,but if some of the         
adventurous speculations built by ,sir  
,william  ,herschell on the bewildering 
revelations of his telescope have been  
since questioned1 the vast progress     
which has been made in sidereal         
astronomy1 to which1 as ,i understand1  
the ,dudley ,observatory will be        
particularly devoted1 the discovery of  
the parallax of the fixed stars1  the   
investigation of the interior relations 
of binary and triple systems  of stars1 
the theories for the explanation of the 
extraordinary1 not to  say fantastic1   
shapes discerned in some of the nebulous
 systems--whirls  and spirals radiating 
through spaces as vast as the orbit of  
,neptune2,a  the glimpses at systems    
beyond that to which our sun            
belongs2--these are  all splendid       
results1 which may fairly be attributed 
to the school of  ,herschell1 and will  
for ever insure no secondary place to   
that name in  the annals of science4    
,footnote ,a3 ,see the remarkable memoir

 of ,professor ,alexander1 ,on the      
origin of the forms and the present     
condition of some of the clusters of    
stars1 and several of the nebul1        
7,gould's ,astronomical ,journal1 ,vol4 
iii1 p4 #ie47                           
,,relationship ,,of ,,the ,,liberal     
,,arts4    ,in the remarks which ,i have
 hitherto made1 ,i have had mainly in   
view  the direct connection of          
astronomical science with the uses of   
life and  the service of man4 ,but a    
generous philosophy contemplates the    
subject  in higher relations4 ,it is a  
remark as old1 at least1 as ,plato1 and 
is repeated from him more than once by  
,cicero1 that all the liberal  arts have
 a common bond and relationship4,a ,the 
different sciences  contemplate as their
 immediate object the different         
departments of  animate and inanimate   
nature2 but this great system itself is 
but  one1 and its parts are so          
interwoven with each other1 that the    
most  extraordinary relations and       

unexpected analogies are constantly     
presenting themselves2 and arts and     
sciences seemingly the least  connected1
 render to each other the most effective
 assistance4    ,footnote ,a3 ,archias1 
i42 ,de ,oratore1 iii41 #ba4    ,the    
history of electricity1 galvanism1 and  
magnetism1 furnishes the most  striking 
illustration of this remark4 ,commencing
 with the meteorological  phenomena of  
our own atmosphere1 and terminating with
 the observation  of the remotest       
heavens1 it may well be adduced1 on an  
occasion like  the present4 ,franklin   
demonstrated the identity of lightning  
and the  electric fluid4 ,this discovery
 gave a great impulse to electrical     
research1 with little else in view but  
the means of protection from  the       
thunder-cloud4 ,a purely accidental     
circumstance led the physician          
,galvani1 at ,bologna1 to trace the     
mysterious element1 under conditions    
entirely novel1 both of development and 
application4 ,in this new form it       

became1 in the hands of ,davy1 the      
instrument of the most extraordinary    
chemical operations2 and earths and     
alkalis1 touched by the creative  wire1 
started up into metals that float on    
water1 and kindle in the  air4 ,at a    
later period1 the closest affinities are
 observed between  electricity and      
magnetism1 on the one hand2 while1 on   
the other1 the  relations of polarity   
are detected between acids and alkalis4 
,plating  and gilding henceforth become 
electrical processes4 ,in the last      
applications of the same subtle medium1 
it has become the messenger of          
intelligence across the land and beneath
 the sea2 and is now employed by  the   
astronomer to ascertain the difference  
of longitudes1 to transfer  the beats of
 the clock from one station to another1 
and to record the  moment of his        
observations with automatic accuracy4   
,how large a share  has been borne by   
,america in these magnificent           
discoveries and  applications1 among the

 most brilliant achievements of modern  
science1  will sufficiently appear from 
the repetition of the names of          
,franklin1  ,henry1 ,morse1 ,walker1    
,mitchell1 ,lock1 and ,bond4            
,,versatility ,,of ,,genius4    ,it has 
sometimes happened1 whether from the    
harmonious relations to  each other of  
every department of science1 or from    
rare felicity of  individual genius1    
that the most extraordinary intellectual
 versatility  has been manifested by the
 same person4 ,although ,newton's       
transcendent  talent did not blaze out  
in childhood1 yet as a boy he discovered
 great  aptitude for mechanical         
contrivance4 ,his water-clock1          
self-moving  vehicle1 and mill1 were the
 wonder of the village2 the latter      
propelled  by a living mouse4 ,sir      
,david ,brewster represents the accounts
 as  differing1 whether the mouse was   
made to advance by a string attached  to
 its tail1 or by its unavailing attempts
 to reach a portion of corn  placed     

above the wheel4 ,it seems more         
reasonable to conclude that  the        
youthful discoverer of the law of       
gravitation intended by the  combination
 of these opposite attractions to       
produce a balanced  movement4 ,it is    
consoling to the average mediocrity of  
the race to  perceive in these sportive 
assays1 that the mind of ,newton passed 
through the stage of boyhood4 ,but      
emerging from boyhood1 what a bound it  
made1 as from earth to heaven6 ,hardly  
commencing bachelor of arts1 at  the age
 of twenty-four1 he untwisted the golden
 and silver threads of  the solar       
spectrum1 simultaneously or soon after  
conceived the method of  fluxions1 and  
arrived at the elemental idea of        
universal gravity before  he had passed 
to his master's degree4 ,master of ,arts
 indeed6 ,that  degree1 if no other1 was
 well bestowed4 ,universities are       
unjustly  accused of fixing science in  
stereotype4 ,that diploma is enough of  
itself to redeem the honors of          

academical parchment from centuries of  
learned dullness and scholastic         
dogmatism4    ,but the great object of  
all knowledge is to enlarge and purify  
the soul1  to fill the mind with noble  
contemplations1 to furnish a refined    
pleasure1 and to lead our feeble reason 
from the works of nature up to  its     
great ,author and ,sustainer4           
,considering this as the ultimate end of
  science1 no branch of it can surely   
claim precedence of ,astronomy4 ,no     
other science furnishes such a palpable 
embodiment of the abstractions  which   
lie at the foundation of our            
intellectual system2 the great ideas  of
 time1 and space1 and extension1 and    
magnitude1 and number1 and  motion1 and 
power4 ,how grand the conception of the 
ages on ages required  for several of   
the secular equations of the solar      
system2 of distances  from which the    
light of a fixed star would not reach us
 in twenty  millions of years1 of       
magnitudes compared with which the earth

 is but a  foot-ball2 of starry         
hosts--suns like our own--numberless as 
the sands  on the shore2 of worlds and  
systems shooting through the infinite   
spaces1 with a velocity compared with   
which the cannon-ball is a  way-worn1   
heavy-paced traveler6,a    ,footnote ,a3
 ,nichol's ,architecture of the         
,heavens1 p4 #afj4                      
,,the ,,spectacle ,,of ,,the ,,heavens4 
,much1 however1 as we are indebted to   
our observatories for elevating our     
conceptions of the heavenly bodies1 they
 present1 even to the unaided  sight1   
scenes of glory which words are too     
feeble to describe4 ,i had  occasion1 a 
few weeks since1 to take the early train
 from ,providence to  ,boston2 and for  
this purpose rose at #b o'clock in the  
morning4 ,every  thing around was       
wrapped in darkness and hushed in       
silence1 broken only  by what seemed at 
that hour the unearthly clank and rush  
of the train4  ,it was a mild1 serene   
midsummer's night2 the sky was without a

  cloud--the winds were whist4 ,the     
moon1 then in the last quarter1 had     
just risen1 and the stars shone with a  
spectral luster but little  affected by 
her presence2 ,jupiter1 two hours high1 
was the herald of the  day2 the         
,pleiades1 just above the horizon1 shed 
their sweet influence in  the east2     
,lyra sparkled near the zenith2         
,andromeda veiled her newly  discovered 
glories from the naked eye in the south2
 the steady ,pointers1  far beneath the 
pole1 looked meekly up from the depths  
of the north to  their sovereign4       
,such was the glorious spectacle as ,i  
entered the train4 ,as we proceeded1    
the timid approach of twilight became   
more perceptible2 the intense blue  of  
the sky began to soften1 the smaller    
stars1 like little children1  went first
 to rest2 the sister-beams of the       
,pleiades soon melted  together2 but the
 bright constellations of the west and  
north remained  unchanged4 ,steadily the
 wondrous transfiguration went on4      

,hands of  angels hidden from mortal    
eyes shifted the scenery of the heavens2
 the  glories of night dissolved into   
the glories of the dawn4 ,the blue sky  
now turned more softly gray2 the great  
watch-stars shut up their holy  eyes2   
the east began to kindle4 ,faint streaks
 of purple soon blushed  along the sky2 
the whole celestial concave was filled  
with the inflowing  tides of the morning
 light1 which came pouring down from    
above in one  great ocean of radiance2  
till at length1 as we reached the ,blue 
,hills1 a  flash of purple fire blazed  
out from above the horizon1 and turned  
the  dewy teardrops of flower and leaf  
into rubies and diamonds4 ,in a few     
seconds the everlasting gates of the    
morning were thrown wide open1 and  the 
lord of day1 arrayed in glories too     
severe for the gaze of man1  began his  
course4    ,i do not wonder at the      
superstition of the ancient ,magians1   
who in the  morning of the world went up
 to the hill-tops of ,central ,asia1 and

  ignorant of the true ,god1 adored the 
most glorious work of his hand4  ,but ,i
 am filled with amazement1 when ,i am   
told that in this enlightened  age1 and 
in the heart of the ,christian world1   
there are persons who can  witness this 
daily manifestation of the power and    
wisdom of the ,creator1  and yet say in 
their hearts1 ,there is no ,god4        
,,undiscovered ,,bodies4    ,numerous as
 are the heavenly bodies visible to the 
naked eye1 and  glorious as are their   
manifestations1 it is probable that in  
our own  system there are great numbers 
as yet undiscovered4 ,just two hundred  
years ago this year1 ,huyghens announced
 the discovery of one satellite  of     
,saturn1 and expressed the opinion that 
the six planets and six  satellites then
 known1 and making up the perfect number
 of twelve1  composed the whole of our  
planetary system4 ,in #agbi an          
astronomical  writer expressed the      
opinion that there might be other bodies
 in our  system1 but that the limit of  

telescopic power had been reached1 and  
no  further discoveries were likely to  
be made4,a ,the orbit of one comet  only
 had been definitively calculated4      
,since that time the power of the       
telescope has been indefinitely         
increased2 two primary planets of the   
first class1 ten satellites1 and        
forty-three small planets revolving     
between ,mars and ,jupiter1 have been   
discovered1 the orbits of six or  seven 
hundred comets1 some of brief period1   
have been ascertained2--and  it has been
 computed1 that hundreds of thousands of
 these mysterious  bodies wander through
 our system4 ,there is no reason to     
think that all  the primary planets1    
which revolve about the sun1 have been  
discovered4  ,an indefinite increase in 
the number of asteroids may be          
anticipated2  while outside of ,neptune1
 between our sun and the nearest fixed  
star1  supposing the attraction of the  
sun to prevail through half the         
distance1 there is room for ten more    

primary planets succeeding each  other  
at distances increasing in a geometrical
 ratio4 ,the first of  these will1      
unquestionably1 be discovered as soon as
 the perturbations  of ,neptune shall   
have been accurately observed2 and with 
maps of the  heavens1 on which the      
smallest telescopic stars are laid down1
 it may be  discovered much sooner4     
,footnote ,a3 ,memoirs of ,a4,a4,s41    
vol4 iii1 #bge4                         
,,the ,,vastness ,,of ,,creation4       
,but it is when we turn our observation 
and our thoughts from our own  system1  
to the systems which lie beyond it in   
the heavenly spaces1 that  we approach a
 more adequate conception of the        
vastness of creation4 ,all  analogy     
teaches us that the sun which gives     
light to us is but one of  those        
countless stellar fires which deck the  
firmament1 and that every  glittering   
star in that shining host is the center 
of a system as vast  and as full of     
subordinate luminaries as our own4 ,of  

these suns--centers  of planetary       
systems--thousands are visible to the   
naked eye1 millions  are discovered by  
the telescope4 ,sir ,john ,herschell1 in
 the account of  his operations at the  
,cape of ,good ,hope 7p4 #cha7          
calculates that about  five and a half  
millions of stars are visible enough to 
be distinctly  counted in a twenty-foot 
reflector1 in both hemispheres4 ,he     
adds1 that  the actual number is much   
greater1 there can be little doubt4 ,his
  illustrious father1 estimated on one  
occasion that #abe1jjj stars passed     
through the field of his forty foot     
reflector in a quarter of an hour4      
,this would give #ab1jjj1jjj for the    
entire circuit of the heavens1 in a     
single telescopic zone2 and this        
estimate was made under the assumption  
that the nebul were masses of luminous  
matter not yet condensed into  suns4    
,these stupendous calculations1 however1
 form but the first column of the       
inventory of the universe4 ,faint white 

specks are visible1 even to the  naked  
eye of a practiced observer in different
 parts of the heavens4  ,under high     
magnifying powers1 several thousands of 
such spots are  visible1--no longer     
however1 faint1 white specks1 but many  
of them  resolved by powerful telescopes
 into vast aggregations of stars1 each  
of which may1 with propriety1 be        
compared with the milky way4 ,many of   
these nebul1 however1 resisted the power
 of ,sir ,wm4 ,herschell's great        
reflector1 and were1 accordingly1 still 
regarded by him as masses of  unformed  
matter1 not yet condensed into suns4    
,this1 till a few years  since1 was1    
perhaps1 the prevailing opinion2 and the
 nebular theory  filled a large space in
 modern astronomical science4 ,but with 
the  increase of instrumental power1    
especially under the mighty grasp of    
,lord ,rosse's gigantic reflector1 and  
the great refractors at ,pulkova and    
,cambridge1 the most irresolvable of    
these nebul have given way2 and the     

better opinion now is1 that every one of
 them is a galaxy1 like our own  milky  
way1 composed of millions of suns4 ,in  
other words1 we are brought  to the     
bewildering conclusion that thousands of
 these misty specks1 the  greater part  
of them too faint to be seen with the   
naked eye1 are1 not  each a universe    
like our solar system1 but each a swarm 
of universes  of unappreciable          
magnitude4,a ,the mind sinks1           
overpowered by the  contemplation4 ,we  
repeat the words1 but they no longer    
convey distinct  ideas to the           
understanding4    ,footnote ,a3         
,humboldt's ,cosmos1 iii4 #da4          
,,conceptions ,,of ,,the ,,universe4    
,but these conclusions1 however vast    
their comprehension1 carry us but       
another step forward in the realms of   
sidereal astronomy4 ,a proper  motion in
 space of our sun1 and of the fixed     
stars as we call them1  has long been   
believed to exist4 ,their vast distances
 only prevent its  being more apparent4 

,the great improvement of instruments of
 measurement  within the last generation
 has not only established the existence 
of  this motion1 but has pointed to the 
region in the starry vault around  which
 our whole solar and stellar system1    
with its myriad of attendant  planetary 
worlds1 appears to be performing a      
mighty revolution4 ,if1  then1 we assume
 that outside of the system to which we 
belong and in  which our sun is but a   
star like ,aldebaran or ,sirius1 the    
different  nebul of which we have       
spoken1--thousands of which spot the    
heavens--constitute a distinct family of
 universes1 we must1 following  the     
guide of analogy1 attribute to each of  
them also1 beyond all the  revolutions  
of their individual attendant planetary 
systems1 a great  revolution1           
comprehending the whole2 while the same 
course of analogical  reasoning would   
lead us still further onward1 and in the
 last analysis1  require us to assume a 
transcendental connection between all   

these  mighty systems--a universe of    
universes1 circling round in the        
infinity  of space1 and preserving its  
equilibrium by the same laws of mutual  
attraction which bind the lower worlds  
together4    ,it may be thought that    
conceptions like these are calculated   
rather to  depress than to elevate us in
 the scale of being2 that1 banished as  
he  is by these contemplations to a     
corner of creation1 and there reduced   
to an atom1 man sinks to nothingness in 
this infinity of worlds4 ,but a  second 
thought corrects the impression4 ,these 
vast contemplations are  well calculated
 to inspire awe1 but not abasement4     
,mind and matter are  incommensurable4  
,an immortal soul1 even while clothed in
 this muddy  vesture of decay1 is in the
 eye of ,god and reason1 a purer essence
 than  the brightest sun that lights the
 depths of heaven4 ,the organized human 
eye1 instinct with life and soul1 which1
 gazing through the telescope1  travels 
up to the cloudy speck in the handle of 

,orion's sword1 and bids  it blaze forth
 into a galaxy as vast as ours1 stands  
higher in the order  of being than all  
that host of luminaries4 ,the intellect 
of ,newton which  discovered the law    
that holds the revolving worlds         
together1 is a nobler  work of ,god than
 a universe of universes of unthinking  
matter4    ,if1 still treading the      
loftiest paths of analogy1 we adopt the 
supposition1--to me ,i own the grateful 
supposition1--that the countless        
planetary worlds which attend these     
countless suns1 are the abodes of       
rational beings like man1 instead of    
bringing back from this exalted         
conception a feeling of insignificance1 
as if the individuals of our  race were 
but poor atoms in the infinity of being1
 ,i regard it1 on the  contrary1 as a   
glory of our human nature1 that it      
belongs to a family  which no man can   
number of rational natures like itself4 
,in the order of  being they may stand  
beneath us1 or they may stand above us2 

he may  well be content with his place1 
who is made a little lower than the     
angels4                                 
,,contemplation ,,of ,,the ,,heavens4   
,finally1 my ,friends1 ,i believe there 
is no contemplation better adapted  to  
awaken devout ideas than that of the    
heavenly bodies1--no branch of  natural 
science which bears clearer testimony to
 the power and wisdom of  ,god than that
 to which you this day consecrate a     
temple4 ,the heart of  the ancient      
world1 with all the prevailing ignorance
 of the true nature  and motions of the 
heavenly orbs1 was religiously impressed
 by their  survey4 ,there is a passage  
in one of those admirable philosophical 
treatises of ,cicero composed in the    
decline of life1 as a solace under      
domestic bereavement and patriotic      
concern at the impending convulsions  of
 the state1 in which1 quoting from some 
lost work of ,aristotle1 he  treats the 
topic in a manner which almost puts to  
shame the teachings of  ,christian      

wisdom4    ,prclare ergo ,aristoteles1  
',si essent1' inquit1 'qui sub terra    
semper  habitavissent1 bonis et         
illustribus domiciliis qu essent ornata 
signis  atque picturis1 instructaque    
rebus iis omnibus quibus abundant ii qui
  beati putantur1 nec tamen exissent    
unquam supra terram2 accepissent  autem 
fama et auditione1 esse quoddam numen et
 vim ,deorum1--deinde  aliquo tempore   
patefactis terr faucibus ex illis       
abditis sedibus  evadere in hc loca qu  
nos incolimus1 atque exire potuissent2  
cum  repente terram et maria coelumque1 
vidissent2 nubium magnitudinem          
ventorumque vim1 cognovissent2          
aspexissentque solem1 ejusque tum       
magnitudinem1 pulchritudinemque2 tum    
etiam efficientiam cognovissent1  quod  
is diem efficeret1 toto coelo luce      
diffusa2 cum autem terras nox           
opacasset1 tum coelum totum cernerent   
astris distinctum et ornatum1  lunque   
luminum varietatem tum crescentis tum   
senescentis1 corumque  omnium ortus et  

occasus atque in ternitate ratos        
immutabilesque  cursus2--hc cum         
viderent1 profecto et esse ,deos1 et hc 
tanta opera  ,deorum esse1              
arbitrarentur4,a    ,there is much by   
day to engage the attention of the      
,observatory2 the  sun1 his apparent    
motions1 his dimensions1 the spots on   
his disc 7to  us the faint indications  
of movements of unimagined grandeur in  
his  luminous atmosphere71 a solar      
eclipse1 a transit of the inferior      
planets1 the mysteries of the           
spectrum2--all phenomena of vast        
importance and interest4 ,but night is  
the astronomer's accepted time2 he  goes
 to his delightful labors when the busy 
world goes to its rest4 ,a  dark pall   
spreads over the resorts of active life2
 terrestrial objects1  hill and valley1 
and rock and stream1 and the abodes of  
men disappear2  but the curtain is drawn
 up which concealed the heavenly hosts4 
,there  they shine and there they move1 
as they moved and shone to the eyes of  

,newton and ,galileo1 of ,kepler and    
,copernicus1 of ,ptolemy and            
,hipparchus2  yes1 as they moved and    
shone when the morning stars sang       
together1 and  all the sons of ,god     
shouted for joy4 ,all has changed on    
earth2 but  the glorious heavens remain 
unchanged4 ,the plow passes over the    
site  of mighty cities1--the homes of   
powerful nations are desolate1 the      
languages they spoke are forgotten2 but 
the stars that shone for them  are      
shining for us2 the same eclipses run   
their steady cycle2 the same  equinoxes 
call out the flowers of spring1 and send
 the husbandman  to the harvest2 the sun
 pauses at either tropic as he did when 
his  course began2 and sun and moon1 and
 planet and satellite1 and star and     
constellation and galaxy1 still bear    
witness to the power1 the wisdom1  and  
the love1 which placed them in the      
heavens and uphold them there4          
,footnote ,a3 ,nobly does ,aristotle    
observe1 that if there were beings  who 

had always lived under ground1 in       
convenient1 nay1 in magnificent         
dwellings1 adorned with statues and     
pictures1 and every thing which  belongs
 to prosperous life1 but who had never  
come above ground2 who had  heard1      
however1 by fame and report1 of the     
being and power of the gods2  if1 at a  
certain time1 the portals of the earth  
being thrown open1  they had been able  
to emerge from those hidden abodes to   
the regions  inhabited by us2 when      
suddenly they had seen the earth1 the   
sea1 and  the sky2 had perceived the    
vastness of the clouds and the force of 
the  winds2 had contemplated the sun1   
his magnitude and his beauty1 and  still
 more his effectual power1 that it is he
 who makes the day1 by  the diffusion of
 his light through the whole sky2 and1  
when night had  darkened the earth1     
should then behold the whole heavens    
studded and  adorned with stars1 and the
 various lights of the waxing and waning
  moon1 the risings and the settings of 

all these heavenly bodies1 and the      
courses fixed and immutable in all      
eternity2 when1 ,i say1 they should  see
 these things1 truly they would believe 
that there were gods1 and  these so     
great things are their works4--,cicero1 
,de ,natura ,deorum lib4  ii41  #cj4